LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stock Holdings Decreased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. cut its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 77.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,649 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,722 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Moore Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,440,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,036,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,050,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $996,032,000 after acquiring an additional 522,032 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 143.9% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 17,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,681,000 after purchasing an additional 10,266 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 109.0% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 185,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $60,710,000 after purchasing an additional 96,988 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on LPLA shares. JMP Securities upped their target price on LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $330.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $365.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $377.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total transaction of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,954,837.66. This represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of LPLA traded down $4.90 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $372.50. The stock had a trading volume of 459,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 835,803. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The firm has a market cap of $29.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $331.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $336.81. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.54 by $0.61. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. The business had revenue of $3.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.83 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

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

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.