LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Down 0.2% – What’s Next?

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)’s stock price was down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $377.96 and last traded at $379.35. Approximately 100,808 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 606,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $379.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Down 2.0 %

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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $348.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.87.

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

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders 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 0.32%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now 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. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of LPL Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently 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.