LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Down 0.3%

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)’s stock price fell 0.3% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $262.99 and last traded at $264.53. 71,407 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 524,228 shares. The stock had previously closed at $265.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on LPLA. Barclays raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $302.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $260.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James started coverage on LPL Financial in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $266.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $268.36.

LPL Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $19.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $263.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $241.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $2.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.21 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 15.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Kabir Sethi sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.50, for a total value of $346,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,730,292.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other LPL Financial news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 34,807 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.54, for a total value of $9,277,457.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 141,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,798,037.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kabir Sethi sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.50, for a total value of $346,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,730,292.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 60,151 shares of company stock valued at $15,911,088. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $200,497,000. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 286.0% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 828,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $188,553,000 after buying an additional 613,792 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 1,732.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 568,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,055,000 after buying an additional 537,272 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 89.0% during the fourth quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 774,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,245,000 after buying an additional 364,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 358.2% during the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 456,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,604,000 after buying an additional 357,245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Company Profile

LPL Financial Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides an integrated platform of brokerage and investment advisory services to independent financial advisors and financial advisors at enterprises in the United States. Its brokerage offerings include variable and fixed annuities, mutual funds, equities, fixed income, alternative investments, retirement and 529 education savings plans, and insurance.