LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $387.69.

LPLA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $330.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Citigroup downgraded shares of LPL Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $400.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 9th. JMP Securities increased their target price 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, May 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $400.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th.

LPL Financial Trading Up 0.3%

LPL Financial stock traded up $1.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $379.29. The stock had a trading volume of 475,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,970. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $353.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $344.35. LPL Financial has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $390.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market cap of $30.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.67.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last released its 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. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 46.34%. 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 revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in LPL Financial by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 1,783 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in LPL Financial by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 972 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in LPL Financial by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 31,360 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,409,000 after buying an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in LPL Financial by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About LPL Financial

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.