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LKQ Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue fell 5.1% on lower organic sales: Revenue was $3.3 billion, down 5.1% from $3.5 billion a year earlier. Parts and services revenue fell 5.6% in the quarter. Source
  • Net loss included impairment charges: Net loss was $24 million, including $111 million of pre-tax non-cash impairment charges. The year-earlier quarter had net income of $178 million. Source
  • Full-year 2026 guidance withdrawn: Full-year 2026 guidance was withdrawn. The guidance had last been updated on July 30, 2026.
  • Europe drove the quarter's decline: Europe revenue fell 10.2% to $1.45 billion. Acquisitions added 0.8% and foreign exchange subtracted 1.2% over the same period. Source
  • Segment EBITDA margin fell to 8.9%: Total segment EBITDA was $296 million, or 8.9% of revenue, against $395 million and 11.3%. Management calls segment EBITDA the key measure of segment profit. Source
  • Strategic review suspended: The Board suspended the strategic review, including the Specialty segment sales process, alongside the leadership changes. Source
  • Abbate named CEO: Salvatore Abbate was appointed President and CEO, effective December 15, 2026, succeeding Justin Jude. Source

“At the same time, our recent financial and operating performance has not reflected the strength of the business or met the standards we expect, particularly in Europe.”

John Mendel, Chairman of the Board of LKQ

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Quarterly cash dividend Sourcepayable December 3, 2026$0.30 per share
Share repurchase authorization Sourcethrough October 25, 2028authorized through October 25, 2028

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance withdrawn: Full-year 2026 guidance was withdrawn. The guidance had last been updated on July 30, 2026.
  • New: Salvatore A. Abbate was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 15, 2026. Source
  • Ended: Justin Jude departed as CEO, effective October 23, 2026.
  • Ended: Andy Hamilton departed as President and Managing Director of LKQ Europe, effective October 23, 2026.
  • New: An interim Office of the Chief Executive Officer was set up, consisting of Chairman John Mendel and Audit Committee Chair Sue Gove.
  • New: Alvarez & Marsal was engaged to advise on the company's European operations.
  • Ended: The strategic review was suspended, including the Specialty segment sales process. Source
  • New: The stock repurchase program was extended by two years, to October 25, 2028. Source

Third-quarter results and guidance

  • Revenue fell 5.1% on lower organic sales: Revenue was $3.3 billion, down 5.1% from $3.5 billion a year earlier. Parts and services revenue fell 5.6% in the quarter. Source
  • Net loss included impairment charges: Net loss was $24 million, including $111 million of pre-tax non-cash impairment charges. The year-earlier quarter had net income of $178 million. Source
  • Adjusted diluted EPS fell to $0.50: Diluted loss per share was $(0.09), against diluted earnings of $0.69 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.50, compared with $0.84. Source
  • Full-year 2026 guidance withdrawn: Full-year 2026 guidance was withdrawn. The guidance had last been updated on July 30, 2026.
  • Nine-month revenue down 1.4%: Nine-month revenue was $10.2 billion, down 1.4%. Gross margin was 38.1% of revenue against 38.8%, and operating income was $495 million against $840 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • Europe drove the quarter's decline: Europe revenue fell 10.2% to $1.45 billion. Acquisitions added 0.8% and foreign exchange subtracted 1.2% over the same period. Source
  • Europe segment EBITDA margin fell: Europe segment EBITDA was $68 million, a 4.6% margin, against $162 million and 10.0%. The Europe drop of $94 million was most of the $99 million fall in total segment EBITDA. Source
  • North America segment EBITDA rose: North America segment EBITDA was $203 million, a 14.4% margin, against $199 million and 14.0%. Parts and services revenue in the segment fell 2.6% to $1.31 billion. Source
  • Specialty segment EBITDA fell: Specialty segment EBITDA was $25 million, a 5.5% margin, against $34 million and 7.3%. Specialty revenue rose 1.9% to $465 million. Source
  • Demand softer in North America: Management described the North America demand environment as softer, and said the segment performed in line with expectations.

“The third quarter was characterized by weakness in our Europe segment, driven by operational issues related to the ERP implementation in Germany and volume declines in the United Kingdom and Benelux.”

Rick Galloway, Chief Financial Officer of LKQ

Margins, costs and impairments

  • Gross margin fell to 37.2%: Gross margin fell 7.8% in dollars to $1.24 billion, or 37.2% of revenue, against 38.3% a year earlier. Source
  • Segment EBITDA margin fell to 8.9%: Total segment EBITDA was $296 million, or 8.9% of revenue, against $395 million and 11.3%. Management calls segment EBITDA the key measure of segment profit. Source
  • SG&A rose as share of revenue: Selling, general and administrative expenses were $959 million, or 28.9% of revenue, against $958 million and 27.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Goodwill impairment in Specialty: An $88 million goodwill impairment was recorded for the Specialty reporting unit during the nine months ended September 30, 2026. Source
  • Romania assets held for sale impaired: A $23 million impairment on net assets held for sale was recorded in the nine months, tied to the expected divestiture of the Romania operations. Source
  • Restructuring costs rose: Restructuring and transaction related expenses were $24 million, against $14 million. Nine-month expenses were $71 million against $33 million. Source

Cash flow and balance sheet

  • Operating and free cash flow reported: Operating cash flow was $411 million and free cash flow $372 million for the quarter. For nine months, operating cash flow was $466 million and free cash flow $336 million. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow below prior year: Nine-month free cash flow was $336 million, against $573 million a year earlier. Prior-year figures include Self Service free cash flow of about $20 million in the quarter and $50 million in nine months. Source
  • Total debt and leverage: Total debt was $3.7 billion at September 30, 2026, and leverage as defined in the credit facility was 2.8x EBITDA. Source
  • Mekonomen equity investment written down: The equity method investment in Mekonomen carried a $44 million other-than-temporary impairment during the nine months. Source

Returns to shareholders

  • Third-quarter buybacks and dividends: The company invested $30 million to repurchase 1.2 million shares and distributed $76 million in cash dividends in the quarter. Source
  • Nine-month capital returns: Nine-month returns totaled $313 million: $83 million of buybacks for 3.1 million shares and $230 million of cash dividends. Source
  • Remaining buyback authorization $1.5 billion: $1.5 billion remained on the repurchase authorization at September 30, 2026. Cumulative repurchases since October 2018 total $3.0 billion. Source

Strategy and strategic review

  • Strategic review suspended: The Board suspended the strategic review, including the Specialty segment sales process, alongside the leadership changes. Source
  • Alvarez & Marsal advises Europe: Alvarez & Marsal was engaged to advise on European operations, initially on customer service levels, operational stability and cost discipline.
  • Board oversight of direction continues: The Board said it will keep overseeing strategic direction, protecting shareholder interests and ensuring accountability. Source
  • New team to assess the business: The new leadership team is to assess the whole business and evaluate the full range of value-creation pathways open to the company. Source

Leadership changes

  • Abbate named CEO: Salvatore Abbate was appointed President and CEO, effective December 15, 2026, succeeding Justin Jude. Source
  • Abbate's transformation record: At Veritiv, Abbate led a transformation in which the share price rose more than 13-fold, and the company was sold for $2.6 billion in 2023. Source
  • Interim Office of the CEO: Until Abbate starts, an interim Office of the CEO consists of Chairman John Mendel and Audit Committee Chair Sue Gove.
  • Justin Jude departs: Justin Jude departed as CEO, effective October 23, 2026.
  • Andy Hamilton departs Europe: Andy Hamilton left his role as President and Managing Director of LKQ Europe, effective October 23, 2026.

Coming up, as management said on 29 October 2026

  • New CEO starts December 15: Sal Abbate is to take the role of President and CEO effective December 15, 2026. Source
  • Strategic review updates to follow: The company will provide further updates on the strategic alternatives process as it considers appropriate.

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Parts and services organic revenue change, Q3 2026 Source(5.4)%
North America organic revenue change, Q3 2026 Source(2.4)%
Europe organic revenue change, Q3 2026(9.8)%
Specialty organic revenue change, Q3 2026 Source0.9%

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Operational disruption from the ERP implementation in Germany was cited as a driver of the Europe segment's third-quarter results.
  • Demand: Volume declines in the United Kingdom and Benelux were cited as a driver of the Europe segment's results. Source
  • Demand: Management described market conditions in North America as softer during the quarter.
  • Operational: Improving customer service levels in Europe is the initial focus of the Alvarez & Marsal engagement, alongside stabilizing operations.
  • Financial: The company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $111 million in the quarter, which reduced reported net income. Source
  • Operational: The CEO transition means the current CEO left on October 23, and the new CEO takes office on December 15, 2026.

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: North America performed in line with company expectations despite a softer demand environment. Source
  • Missed: Specialty was modestly below expectations, with a smaller shortfall than the Europe segment.
  • Missed: The Chairman said Europe performance has fallen significantly short of the Board's expectations.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.