LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Receives $255.64 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $259.73.

Several analysts have issued reports on LPLA shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, December 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $252.00 to $254.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $300.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $260.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $290.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, February 2nd.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.35, for a total transaction of $2,563,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 137,044 shares in the company, valued at $35,131,229.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 7,089 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.66, for a total transaction of $1,883,263.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 133,169 shares in the company, valued at $35,377,676.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.35, for a total transaction of $2,563,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 137,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,131,229.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 60,151 shares of company stock worth $15,911,088. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. First Manhattan Co. bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 164.4% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 92.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of LPL Financial stock opened at $260.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.85. LPL Financial has a 12 month low of $179.00 and a 12 month high of $274.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.93.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.61%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.21 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that LPL Financial will post 15.87 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.79%.

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.