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

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $379.17.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. TD Cowen upgraded LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

LPL Financial Trading Down 3.2 %

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $308.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. LPL Financial has a one year low of $187.19 and a one year high of $384.04. The company has a market cap of $23.07 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $352.96 and a 200-day moving average of $302.43.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.