LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Acquired by Nordea Investment Management AB

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $2,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in LPL Financial by 32.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $303.00 to $309.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Trading Down 0.9 %

LPL Financial stock opened at $330.41 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $323.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $265.73. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $24.74 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.87. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $344.86.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 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.