LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $428.7143.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on LPL Financial from $433.00 to $439.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group set a $500.00 price objective on LPL Financial in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $426.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,931. This trade represents a 6.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 2,109 shares of LPL Financial 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 transaction, the director owned 14,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,520,838.15. The trade was a 12.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,990 shares of company stock valued at $2,201,837. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,742,991 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $593,663,000 after buying an additional 12,214 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 41.5% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 5,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,777,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 116.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 5,568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after acquiring an additional 2,997 shares during the period. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. lifted its position in LPL Financial by 24.5% during the third quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 187,973 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $62,537,000 after acquiring an additional 36,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter worth approximately $1,975,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $284.05 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $343.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $348.91. LPL Financial has a one year low of $262.83 and a one year high of $403.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 2.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.59.

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

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is currently 10.90%.

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.