Sanctuary Advisors LLC Sells 3,661 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its LPL stake by 19.4%, selling 3,661 shares and now holding 15,254 shares valued at about $5.45 million according to its SEC filing.
• LPL beat Q4 estimates, reporting $5.23 EPS versus $4.82 expected and $4.93 billion in revenue (vs. $4.90B), with revenue up 8.4% year‑over‑year and a 34.19% return on equity.
• Institutions dominate ownership (95.66%) as major funds (Vanguard, MFS, Dodge & Cox, Capital World Investors) added to positions, while corporate insiders have been net sellers (8,569 shares sold in the past 90 days; insiders own 0.60%).

Sanctuary Advisors LLC decreased its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 19.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,254 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,661 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $5,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 4.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,303,768 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,762,581,000 after purchasing an additional 317,002 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,719,447 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,328,475,000 after purchasing an additional 477,094 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 23.2% in the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 3,329,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,107,610,000 after purchasing an additional 627,546 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 15,960.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,628,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $874,493,000 after purchasing an additional 2,612,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 20.5% in the third quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 2,255,714 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $750,453,000 after purchasing an additional 383,466 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $330.89 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $308.57 and a 200 day moving average of $342.55. The stock has a market cap of $26.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.56. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $281.51 and a 12 month high of $403.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

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

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.50, for a total transaction of $506,710.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,382 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,931. The trade was a 6.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 2,212 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.75, for a total transaction of $682,955.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,694,420. This represents a 28.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,569 shares of company stock valued at $2,720,733. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LPLA shares. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $435.00 to $369.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $433.00 to $439.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $478.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $401.93.

About LPL Financial

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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