Aberdeen Group plc Has $34.80 Million Stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 97,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,737 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.12% of LPL Financial worth $34,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LPLA. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the third quarter worth $27,000. Eastern Bank increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 72.0% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 86 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter worth $34,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $293.67 on Friday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.83 and a 12 month high of $403.58. The company has a market cap of $23.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s 50 day moving average is $323.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $343.71. 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 (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, topping the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.41. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.08% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The business had revenue of $4.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. LPL Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LPLA shares. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on LPL Financial from $399.00 to $378.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research set a $478.00 price target on LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $428.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 2,109 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.15, for a total value of $675,196.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,520,838.15. This trade represents a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares of LPL Financial 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 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,990 shares of company stock worth $2,201,837 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial 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.