LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Now Covered by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on shares of LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $350.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on LPLA. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $462.00 to $447.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research set a $478.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $464.00 to $383.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $433.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $407.14.

LPL Financial Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ LPLA opened at $310.79 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. LPL Financial has a 1-year low of $266.62 and a 1-year high of $403.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $319.31 and a 200-day moving average of $342.95. The company has a market cap of $24.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.56.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $4.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.90 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.08% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.90%.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total transaction of $506,710.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,852,931. This trade represents a 6.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,088 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.72, for a total value of $336,975.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,362,768. This trade represents a 19.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 6,990 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,837 in the last 90 days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 64.5% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,860,000 after acquiring an additional 2,042 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 32,951 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,769,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Tobam grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Tobam now owns 15,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,538,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded LPL from “neutral” to “buy” and set a $380 price target, signaling stronger Wall Street support and providing fresh buy-side momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage with an “outperform” rating and a $350 target, adding another buy-side voice and incremental demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP issued a “market outperform” rating, reinforcing the consensus of recent upgrades and supporting further upside expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: LPL added Emerald Legacy Advisors (≈$140M in assets) to its platform — a modest but tangible advisor win that supports growth and recurring-fee potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target from $435 to $369 but kept an “overweight” rating — a mixed signal that trims upside but maintains institutional support. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage piece noting LPL’s tracking of capital-flow trends in Nasdaq futures — useful market intelligence for investors but unlikely to move fundamentals on its own. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies published a pessimistic forecast for LPL’s stock price, introducing downside risk and a counterweight to the upgrade-driven buying. Read More.

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.