LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Rating Increased to Buy at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. UBS Group currently has $380.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $406.00.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on LPLA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on LPL Financial from $462.00 to $447.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Monday. Wolfe Research set a $478.00 price target on LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on LPL Financial from $444.00 to $434.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $407.14.

LPL Financial Trading Up 4.5%

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $310.79 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.45, a current 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 firm has a market capitalization of $24.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $319.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $342.95.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.41. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 34.19% and a net margin of 5.08%.The business had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.25 EPS. LPL Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that LPL Financial will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total value of $506,710.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,852,931. This represents a 6.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 2,109 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.15, for a total value of $675,196.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,520,838.15. This represents a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,990 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,837. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 3,650.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 75 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 550.0% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 78 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 912.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 81 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting LPL Financial

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.

About LPL Financial

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.