LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stock Holdings Increased by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 171,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 19,787 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $56,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LPLA. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA opened at $336.89 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $351.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $25.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. Research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen raised LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, LPL Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total transaction of $1,652,001.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This represents a 21.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 in the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

LPL Financial 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.