LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 30.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 646,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 281,029 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial accounts for 0.8% of Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.87% of LPL Financial worth $180,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LPLA. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in LPL Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in LPL Financial by 360.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in LPL Financial by 74.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA opened at $215.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.19 and a fifty-two week high of $289.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $251.80. The company has a market capitalization of $16.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.88.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.66 by $0.22. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 52.14%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.94 EPS. LPL Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 15.9 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 9.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LPLA. JMP Securities raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on LPL Financial in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $235.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on LPL Financial from $290.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $275.27.

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.