Townsquare Capital LLC Has $5.07 Million Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 47.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,968 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in LPL Financial were worth $5,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $889,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 13,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,246,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 20,030 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,540,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waddell & Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA stock traded down $0.02 on Friday, reaching $306.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 413,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 824,284. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $335.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $320.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04.

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

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 21.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LPLA has been the subject of a number of research reports. JMP Securities decreased their price target on LPL Financial from $435.00 to $420.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $369.83.

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.