PFG Investments LLC Trims Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

PFG Investments LLC trimmed its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 39.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 452 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the third quarter worth $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in LPL Financial during the third quarter valued at $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in LPL Financial by 32.3% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 71.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total value of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LPLA shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $370.50.

LPL Financial Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $366.89 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $335.66 and its 200 day moving average is $273.82. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $375.74. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $27.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.87.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. On average, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.17 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.33%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.55%.

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.