LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Receives $322.75 Consensus PT from Analysts

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $322.75.

LPLA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st.

LPL Financial Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $334.93 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.18, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $305.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $260.92. 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 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $334.93.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial will post 16.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in LPL Financial by 15.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,913,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 98.9% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,782,000 after buying an additional 3,809 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $182,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,815,000 after acquiring an additional 3,339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in LPL Financial by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 9,669 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently 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.