LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 50.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,841 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,320 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $3,685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the second quarter worth $25,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of LPL Financial by 360.7% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA stock opened at $327.35 on Wednesday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.19 and a 1 year high of $330.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $265.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.40.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.74 EPS. LPL Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.1 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $303.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.92.

LPL Financial 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.