DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Sells 1,316 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main reduced its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 23.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,343 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,316 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,418,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $414.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $371.50.

LPL Financial Stock Up 6.3%

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA opened at $360.42 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $28.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $320.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $329.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.19 and a 52-week high of $384.04.

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 (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $3.63 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.83 earnings per share. Analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders 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 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.30%.

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.

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