Stifel Financial Corp Acquires 42,460 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 34.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 165,291 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 42,460 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.22% of LPL Financial worth $53,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $78,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA traded down $0.95 during trading on Monday, reaching $313.60. 120,106 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 826,785. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50 day moving average is $327.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $324.58.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LPLA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $414.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,954,837.66. The trade was a 21.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 in the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by 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.