LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stock Holdings Increased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in LPL Financial by 9.1% in the first quarter, now owning 60,392 shares worth $19.76 million.
• LPL Financial reported earnings of $4.51 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and achieving a year-over-year revenue increase of 30.8%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, payable on August 29th, with a current dividend yield of 0.3%.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,392 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,025 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of LPL Financial worth $19,757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its position in shares of LPL Financial by 123.1% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 234.5% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of LPL Financial by 63.9% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in LPL Financial by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 104 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LPLA. Citigroup lowered LPL Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $490.00 price objective (up previously from $450.00) on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. 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. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $425.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $383.58.

LPL Financial Stock Down 2.6%

NASDAQ:LPLA traded down $9.89 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $368.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 553,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 820,584. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.66. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.22 and a 52-week high of $403.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $378.35 and a 200-day moving average of $355.56. The company has a current ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 39.80% and a net margin of 7.91%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 30.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.88 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Greg Gates sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.63, for a total value of $573,945.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,620 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,889,830.60. The trade was a 6.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About LPL Financial

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.