LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 1,180,251 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the previous session’s volume of 764,306 shares.The stock last traded at $331.57 and had previously closed at $327.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.42.

LPL Financial Stock Up 1.1 %

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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $350.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $314.46. The stock has a market cap of $25.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82.

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

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.55%.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total value of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This trade represents a 21.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,838.75. This represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 in the last quarter. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of LPL Financial by 63.9% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in LPL Financial by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 113,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,989,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $358,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $7,851,000. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $271,000. 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.