FJ Capital Management LLC Invests $2.92 Million in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,946 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,921,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in LPL Financial by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Trading Up 4.5%

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA traded up $16.33 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $376.75. 1,227,201 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 831,034. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $321.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $330.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.54 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. The business's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This trade represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LPLA. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $374.42.

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.