LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Shepherd Financial Partners LLC

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 65.4% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,000 shares during the quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,556,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,905,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,278,454,000 after acquiring an additional 805,637 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in LPL Financial by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,050,529 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $996,032,000 after purchasing an additional 522,032 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in LPL Financial by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,660,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $868,757,000 after purchasing an additional 57,485 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in LPL Financial by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,459,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $475,946,000 after purchasing an additional 23,111 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,115,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $364,290,000 after buying an additional 405,341 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $378.01 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.19 and a fifty-two week high of $390.23. The stock has a market cap of $30.23 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $352.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $344.10.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.54 by $0.61. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 46.34%. The company had revenue of $3.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on LPL Financial from $330.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. JMP Securities boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded LPL Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of LPL Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $387.69.

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.