LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. by 4.3%, selling 918 shares and holding 20,438 shares valued at approximately $6.686 million at the end of the first quarter.
• The company recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.51, surpassing analysts' expectations and marking a 30.8% year-over-year revenue increase to $3.84 billion.
• In the first quarter, institutional investors own 95.66% of LPL Financial's stock, with multiple investors increasing their positions or acquiring new stakes during the period.

Blair William & Co. IL reduced its holdings in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,438 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 918 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $6,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 9,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in LPL Financial by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 505 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its position in LPL Financial by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 812 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,117,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on LPLA shares. Citigroup downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $420.00 to $460.00 in a research report on Monday, June 9th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $406.00 to $403.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $460.00 to $463.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $383.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Greg Gates sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.05, for a total value of $561,075.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,120 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,151,836. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

LPLA traded up $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $369.84. 528,160 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 920,436. The business's 50 day moving average price is $377.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The company has a market capitalization of $29.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.66. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.22 and a 1 year high of $403.58.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $4.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.21 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.77 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 7.91% and a return on equity of 39.80%. The firm's revenue was up 30.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.88 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. 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 15th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.21%.

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.