LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Trading Down 1.7% – Should You Sell?

Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) fell 1.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $355.24 and last traded at $359.96. 190,818 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 602,511 shares. The stock had previously closed at $366.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on LPLA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.17.

LPL Financial Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market cap of $27.32 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $340.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $280.51.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.14 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total value of $101,241.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Sanchez Wealth Management Group grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Sanchez Wealth Management Group now owns 1,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 3.2% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its position in LPL Financial by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

About LPL Financial

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.