Argent Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management increased its LPL Financial stake by 50.9% in the first quarter, adding 9,728 shares to own 28,855 shares valued at approximately $8.68 million. Institutional investors collectively own 95.66% of the company.
• LPL Financial exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $5.84 versus the $5.39 consensus and revenue of $5.19 billion, up 35.2% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $23.38, and the stock carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with a $406.62 target price.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.20 payout and a 0.3% yield, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 14.

Argent Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 50.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,728 shares during the quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $8,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 3,650.0% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 75 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 550.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 78 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 580.0% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Up 4.3%

LPLA opened at $353.70 on Friday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $260.15 and a 1 year high of $403.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $301.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $316.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a current ratio of 2.56. The company has a market cap of $28.29 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.50.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.39 by $0.45. The company 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 32.80%. LPL Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 23.38 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors 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 of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 308 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $94,248.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,962,990. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about LPL Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting LPL Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS rose 29% year over year to $5.84, ahead of the $5.39 consensus, while revenue climbed 35.2% to $5.19 billion versus the $5.04 billion estimate. Net income reached $379 million, or $4.74 per diluted share. LPL Financial Q2 earnings and revenues beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Asset growth and recruiting momentum remained strong. Total client assets rose 34% year over year to $2.6 trillion, advisory assets increased 46% to $1.5 trillion, and organic net new assets totaled $23 billion. Recruited assets grew 35% to $25 billion, while management described the recruiting pipeline as a record and reported 97% asset retention. Why LPL Financial stock is up today
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and analyst support improved. LPL resumed repurchases, buying back $309 million of stock in Q2 and planning approximately $300 million in Q3; its board also increased authorization by $2.5 billion. JPMorgan raised its target to $428 and KBW increased its target to $390, with both firms maintaining bullish ratings.
• Positive Sentiment: Commonwealth integration expectations improved. The Q4 2026 onboarding remains on track, expected asset retention is approximately 90%, and estimated run-rate EBITDA contribution increased from $410 million to $435 million. LPL shares and Commonwealth update
• Neutral Sentiment: LPL declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 14.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating expenses remain a partial offset: core G&A increased 22% year over year to $519 million. In addition, reported data showed 18 insider sales and no insider purchases during the past six months, a potential sentiment headwind.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LPLA shares. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $365.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Monday, April 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $395.00 to $391.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $406.62.

LPL Financial 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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