Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Has $34.13 Million Stock Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lessened its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 29.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 104,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 43,940 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial accounts for approximately 0.6% of Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC owned about 0.14% of LPL Financial worth $34,130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $384.20 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $328.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $334.94. The company has a market cap of $30.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.19 and a 12 month high of $390.23.

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

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This represents a 21.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LPLA shares. JMP Securities lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $365.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $374.42.

LPL Financial 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.