Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Lowers Stock Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC cut its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,078 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Key Financial Inc purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 360.7% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on LPLA shares. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $271.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $305.17.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $329.77 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $295.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $259.01. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $334.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.74 earnings per share. LPL Financial’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.02%.

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.