LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Trading Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)’s stock price traded up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $381.51 and last traded at $380.82. 243,669 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 635,833 shares. The stock had previously closed at $379.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LPLA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $277.00 to $413.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Trading Down 2.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $348.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.33. The company has a market capitalization of $27.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.87.

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 predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.32%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the third quarter worth $31,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.