WINTON GROUP Ltd Reduces Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

WINTON GROUP Ltd cut its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 34.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 971 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $604,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of LPL Financial by 164.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,046 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after purchasing an additional 6,865 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of LPL Financial by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 27,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,331,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 14.1% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 3,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $336.89 on Friday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $384.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $25.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.82.

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

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 8.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $402,435.00. Following 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.