Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $7.20 Million Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its ownership in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. by 5.3%, acquiring an additional 1,106 shares, bringing its total to 21,998 shares valued at $7.2 million.
• Insider selling was noted as director Greg Gates sold 1,500 shares for approximately $573,945, reducing their ownership by 6.78%.
• LPL Financial reported a quarterly earnings per share of $5.15, surpassing estimates and reflecting a 4.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $7,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LPLA. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during 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 purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 63.9% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Price Performance

LPLA traded up $8.33 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $399.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,129,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 713,104. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $399.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $377.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $353.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 46.34% and a net margin of 8.23%. The company had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.30%.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other news, Director Greg Gates sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.63, for a total transaction of $573,945.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,889,830.60. This represents a 6.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities boosted 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 boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $402.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $490.00 price objective (up from $450.00) on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen downgraded LPL Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $406.00 to $403.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LPL Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $372.15.

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.