LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Holdings Decreased by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,585 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of LPL Financial worth $60,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 27.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,275,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $296,635,000 after purchasing an additional 276,166 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 71.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 357 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,416 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,094,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. TT International Asset Management LTD grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. TT International Asset Management LTD now owns 12,043 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,932,000 after acquiring an additional 777 shares during the period. Finally, Winthrop Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,954 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,842,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA traded up $2.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $385.05. 532,190 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 832,541. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.19 and a 52-week high of $390.23. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $322.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $331.02. 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 firm has a market cap of $30.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.54 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. LPL Financial's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. JMP Securities upped 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. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $374.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total value of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,954,837.66. This trade represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.