LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $303.00 to $309.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $326.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America raised LPL Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $268.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on LPL Financial from $273.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.92.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPL Financial stock opened at $312.25 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $242.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $249.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.85. LPL Financial has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $312.50.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 8.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that LPL Financial will post 16.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in LPL Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Key Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 360.7% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during 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.