Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $15.66 Million Stock Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 17.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 47,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,042 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $15,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $78,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $334.82 on Wednesday. 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 capitalization of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.19 and a 12 month high of $384.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $351.17 and a 200-day moving average of $314.29.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released 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 net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 over the last three months. 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.