LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Fulton Bank N.A.

Fulton Bank N.A. decreased its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 14.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,168 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 679 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.'s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,905,541 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,278,454,000 after buying an additional 805,637 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in LPL Financial by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,050,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $996,032,000 after purchasing an additional 522,032 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,660,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $868,757,000 after purchasing an additional 57,485 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,459,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $475,946,000 after purchasing an additional 23,111 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 27.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,275,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $296,635,000 after purchasing an additional 276,166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of LPLA traded up $3.84 during trading on Thursday, reaching $380.07. 372,141 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 834,887. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $339.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $340.41. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $390.23. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $30.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65.

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

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 8.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LPLA shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $330.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on LPL Financial from $365.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $377.50.

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.