Logan Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Logan Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,947 shares during the period. Logan Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of LPL Financial worth $13,463,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in LPL Financial by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 9,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 505 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,483 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Sanchez Wealth Management Group raised its stake in LPL Financial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Sanchez Wealth Management Group now owns 1,686 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total value of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares in the company, valued at $5,954,837.66. The trade was a 21.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA traded down $3.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $381.42. 742,839 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 834,538. The company has a market cap of $30.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.19 and a 1 year high of $390.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $323.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $331.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.54 by $0.61. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.83 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LPLA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. JMP Securities increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $420.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. 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, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $374.42.

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.