LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Down 0.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) were down 0.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $377.96 and last traded at $379.35. Approximately 100,808 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 606,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $379.99.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LPLA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $27.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $289.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted 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%. On average, analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LPL Financial 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,988,907.82. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LPL Financial

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