KBC Group NV Buys 2,996 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

KBC Group NV grew its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,996 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $4,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in LPL Financial by 45.3% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Down 0.1 %

LPLA stock opened at $361.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $27.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.87. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $366.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $334.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.11. 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 (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. Analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.17 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LPLA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $378.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $288.00 to $397.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upgraded LPL Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.50.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.