South Dakota Investment Council Trims Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 28.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 32.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,339 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,322,000 after buying an additional 5,985 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,522,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 33.1% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 46,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,994,000 after acquiring an additional 11,570 shares during the period. Teca Partners LP increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 20.6% in the first quarter. Teca Partners LP now owns 50,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,065,000 after acquiring an additional 8,547 shares during the period. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the first quarter worth $2,682,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $353.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.29 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a current ratio of 2.56. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $301.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $316.27. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $260.15 and a 1 year high of $403.58.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.39 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $5.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 32.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 23.38 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 308 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $94,248.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,415 shares in the company, valued at $1,962,990. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting LPL Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting LPL Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS rose 29% year over year to $5.84, ahead of the $5.39 consensus, while revenue climbed 35.2% to $5.19 billion versus the $5.04 billion estimate. Net income reached $379 million, or $4.74 per diluted share. LPL Financial Q2 earnings and revenues beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Asset growth and recruiting momentum remained strong. Total client assets rose 34% year over year to $2.6 trillion, advisory assets increased 46% to $1.5 trillion, and organic net new assets totaled $23 billion. Recruited assets grew 35% to $25 billion, while management described the recruiting pipeline as a record and reported 97% asset retention. Why LPL Financial stock is up today
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and analyst support improved. LPL resumed repurchases, buying back $309 million of stock in Q2 and planning approximately $300 million in Q3; its board also increased authorization by $2.5 billion. JPMorgan raised its target to $428 and KBW increased its target to $390, with both firms maintaining bullish ratings.
• Positive Sentiment: Commonwealth integration expectations improved. The Q4 2026 onboarding remains on track, expected asset retention is approximately 90%, and estimated run-rate EBITDA contribution increased from $410 million to $435 million. LPL shares and Commonwealth update
• Neutral Sentiment: LPL declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 14.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating expenses remain a partial offset: core G&A increased 22% year over year to $519 million. In addition, reported data showed 18 insider sales and no insider purchases during the past six months, a potential sentiment headwind.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on LPL Financial from $374.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $408.00 to $428.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on LPL Financial from $394.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.62.

LPL Financial Company Profile

LPL Financial (NASDAQ: LPLA) is a U.S.-focused financial services firm that provides brokerage, custodial and advisory platforms to independent financial advisors, registered investment advisers and institutions. Operating primarily as an independent broker-dealer and custodian, the company supports a network of advisors with the operational, compliance and clearing infrastructure needed to manage client accounts and deliver investment advice outside of traditional wirehouse models.

The firm’s product and service offerings include trade execution and clearing, custody services, retirement plan services, model portfolio and advisory platforms, wealth management technology, investment research and product access across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and insurance and annuity solutions.