Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stock

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $379.00 to $413.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 11.88% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $369.14 on Thursday. LPL Financial has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $375.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $338.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $277.76. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $27.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.87.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial will post 19.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total value of $101,241.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Wealth Alliance raised its position in LPL Financial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Sanchez Wealth Management Group raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Sanchez Wealth Management Group now owns 1,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in LPL Financial by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in LPL Financial by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in LPL Financial by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About LPL Financial

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.