Zacks Research Forecasts Weaker Earnings for LPL Financial

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of LPL Financial in a report issued on Wednesday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the financial services provider will earn $3.62 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.88. The consensus estimate for LPL Financial’s current full-year earnings is $16.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for LPL Financial’s Q1 2025 earnings at $4.39 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.51 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.71 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $4.94 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $18.55 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.79 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $5.27 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $5.39 EPS.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 8.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.74 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on LPLA. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $273.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of LPL Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $235.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.92.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA opened at $326.85 on Friday. LPL Financial has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $327.55. The stock has a market cap of $24.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s fifty day moving average is $263.32 and its 200 day moving average is $253.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

Institutional Trading of LPL Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. FMR LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,322,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $772,930,000 after purchasing an additional 650,675 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,589,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $723,329,000 after purchasing an additional 233,242 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 71.9% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,765,230 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $466,434,000 after acquiring an additional 738,509 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in LPL Financial by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,436,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $333,581,000 after purchasing an additional 36,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Samlyn Capital LLC raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 1,194,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $333,684,000 after acquiring an additional 88,635 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.02%.

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.