Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Grows Stock Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

Key Points

• Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 467.4%, purchasing 27,746 shares to hold 33,682 shares worth about $12.12 million per its latest 13F filing.
• LPL beat Q4 expectations, reporting EPS of $5.23 (vs. $4.82 consensus) and revenue of $4.93 billion, and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.30 ($1.20 annualized).
• Institutional ownership is 95.66% and analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $401.93 price target, though recent analyst moves and insider selling suggest mixed sentiment.

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich grew its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 467.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,682 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 27,746 shares during the quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $12,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LPLA. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 179.3% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,472 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 1,587 shares during the last quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC now owns 12,092 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,319,000 after buying an additional 2,902 shares during the last quarter. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $294,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 32,654 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,679,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 13,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,716,000 after buying an additional 2,482 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LPLA. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $433.00 to $439.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $435.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $401.93.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,110 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.01, for a total transaction of $366,311.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,803 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,535,188.03. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Matthew Enyedi sold 2,109 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.15, for a total transaction of $675,196.35. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,520,838.15. This trade represents a 12.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,569 shares of company stock valued at $2,720,733. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $320.51 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $342.19. The company has a market cap of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $281.51 and a 52 week high of $403.58.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $4.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.90 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.08% and a return on equity of 34.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 10.90%.

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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