Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $1.98 Million Stock Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,071 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 51 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,982,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the third quarter worth $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the third quarter worth $43,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $78,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 32.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LPLA. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.17.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders sold 34,770 shares of company stock valued at $12,663,312 over the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPL Financial stock opened at $371.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $351.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $294.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $384.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.87.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

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

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.