LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Down 1.7% – What’s Next?

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) traded down 1.7% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $355.24 and last traded at $359.96. 190,818 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 602,511 shares. The stock had previously closed at $366.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LPLA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $27.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $340.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $280.51.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. Analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.14 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total value of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 500.0% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH grew its position in LPL Financial by 314.0% in the third quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 15,801 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,676,000 after acquiring an additional 11,984 shares during the last quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC raised its stake in LPL Financial by 1.7% during the third quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $382,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.