4,732,991 Shares in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA Acquired by BlackRock Inc.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,732,991 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,333,189,000. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 6.01% of LPL Financial as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Egerton Capital UK LLP purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,012,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 77,992 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,204,000 after purchasing an additional 5,179 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 559,951 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $199,998,000 after purchasing an additional 6,630 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $371,616,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 56.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 158,783 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,713,000 after buying an additional 57,362 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 308 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $94,248.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,962,990. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.72, for a total value of $352,720.00. Following the sale, the director owned 13,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,628,039.12. The trade was a 7.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $354.02 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $325.27 and its 200-day moving average is $315.54. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $260.15 and a 12 month high of $400.16. The firm has a market cap of $27.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.23, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.48.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.39 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $5.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 32.20%. LPL Financial's quarterly revenue was up 35.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.51 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 24.09 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio is 9.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LPLA. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $374.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $330.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $454.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $406.69.

LPL Financial Company Profile

LPL Financial NASDAQ: LPLA is a U.S.-focused financial services firm that provides brokerage, custodial and advisory platforms to independent financial advisors, registered investment advisers and institutions. Operating primarily as an independent broker-dealer and custodian, the company supports a network of advisors with the operational, compliance and clearing infrastructure needed to manage client accounts and deliver investment advice outside of traditional wirehouse models.

The firm's product and service offerings include trade execution and clearing, custody services, retirement plan services, model portfolio and advisory platforms, wealth management technology, investment research and product access across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and insurance and annuity solutions.

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