Natixis Advisors L.P. Decreases Stock Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 35.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 16,090 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $6,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LPLA. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 1,732.0% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 568,292 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,055,000 after buying an additional 537,272 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in LPL Financial by 358.2% during the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 456,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $108,604,000 after purchasing an additional 357,245 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 524.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 273,140 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,912,000 after buying an additional 229,434 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $54,406,000. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its position in shares of LPL Financial by 137.1% during the 3rd quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 301,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,595,000 after buying an additional 174,205 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $264.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $264.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $244.23. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $186.35 and a one year high of $276.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.84.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is currently 9.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on LPLA shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $269.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Raymond James started coverage on LPL Financial in a report on Thursday, April 4th. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of LPL Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $254.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other news, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 1,381 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.94, for a total transaction of $354,834.14. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,218,419.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other LPL Financial news, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 1,381 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.94, for a total transaction of $354,834.14. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,218,419.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kabir Sethi sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.50, for a total transaction of $346,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,730,292.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,151 shares of company stock valued at $15,911,088 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.