LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Trading Up 0.4% – Time to Buy?

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) shares were up 0.4% on Monday . The company traded as high as $376.11 and last traded at $373.98. Approximately 581,964 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 575,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $372.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $28.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87. 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’s 50 day moving average is $344.99 and its 200-day moving average is $285.83.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $342,000. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $799,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 3,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after buying an additional 1,294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.