LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 64 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in LPL Financial by 77.3% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LPLA has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $336.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $25.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $351.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.11. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.