Natixis Advisors L.P. Cuts Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Natixis Advisors L.P. trimmed its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 35.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,843 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 16,090 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.'s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $6,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in LPL Financial by 1,732.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 568,292 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $135,055,000 after acquiring an additional 537,272 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in LPL Financial by 358.2% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 456,990 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $108,604,000 after purchasing an additional 357,245 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in LPL Financial by 524.9% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 273,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $64,912,000 after buying an additional 229,434 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $54,406,000. Finally, Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 137.1% in the third quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 301,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $71,595,000 after purchasing an additional 174,205 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ LPLA traded up $3.82 on Friday, reaching $268.64. 600,331 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 539,062. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $186.35 and a one year high of $276.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.83. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $264.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $244.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on LPLA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $302.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $260.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $269.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $276.20.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 34,807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 34,807 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.54, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 10,000 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on 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 owns 137,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,131,229.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 60,151 shares of company stock valued at $15,911,088. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.