Entropy Technologies LP Makes New $422,000 Investment in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $78,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in LPL Financial by 32.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $108,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Up 1.4 %

LPLA stock opened at $367.32 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $375.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $342.16 and a 200 day moving average of $282.10.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.14 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Activity

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of LPL Financial 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on LPLA. Barclays upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.17.

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.