Markel Group Inc. Has $97.05 Million Stock Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Markel Group Inc. lifted its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 426,386 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 125,122 shares during the period. LPL Financial comprises approximately 1.1% of Markel Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Markel Group Inc. owned approximately 0.56% of LPL Financial worth $97,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LPLA. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,926,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 38.2% during the third quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 6,227 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,480,000 after buying an additional 1,722 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 14.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 8,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,998,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 3,077 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 191.5% in the 3rd quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA now owns 9,715 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,309,000 after acquiring an additional 6,382 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 10,000 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.35, for a total transaction of $2,563,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 137,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,131,229.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other LPL Financial news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 34,807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.54, for a total value of $9,277,457.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,810 shares in the company, valued at $37,798,037.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.35, for a total value of $2,563,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 137,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,131,229.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,151 shares of company stock valued at $15,911,088 in the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

LPL Financial Trading Up 0.3 %

LPLA stock traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $266.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 327,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,351. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $263.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $179.00 and a 52 week high of $274.35. The stock has a market cap of $19.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.84.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.61%. The firm's revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.21 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 15.55 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. LPL Financial's payout ratio is currently 8.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LPLA shares. Barclays raised their price target on LPL Financial from $302.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $260.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $268.36.

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.

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