Raymond James Financial (RJF) Competitors

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) and Raymond James Financial (NYSE:RJF) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, media sentiment, earnings, dividends, profitability, valuation and risk.

Does the media refer more to LPLA or RJF?

In the previous week, Raymond James Financial had 4 more articles in the media than LPL Financial. MarketBeat recorded 37 mentions for Raymond James Financial and 33 mentions for LPL Financial. LPL Financial's average media sentiment score of 1.43 beat Raymond James Financial's score of 1.03 indicating that LPL Financial is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
LPL Financial	26 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Raymond James Financial	23 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility and risk, LPLA or RJF?

LPL Financial has a beta of 0.66, suggesting that its stock price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Raymond James Financial has a beta of 1.05, suggesting that its stock price is 5% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer LPLA or RJF?

LPL Financial currently has a consensus price target of $383.58, indicating a potential upside of 5.83%. Raymond James Financial has a consensus price target of $163.80, indicating a potential downside of 0.83%. Given LPL Financial's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe LPL Financial is more favorable than Raymond James Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
LPL Financial	1 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.75
Raymond James Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.42

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, LPLA or RJF?

Raymond James Financial has higher revenue and earnings than LPL Financial. Raymond James Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than LPL Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
LPL Financial	$12.39B	2.34	$1.06B	$14.62	24.79
Raymond James Financial	$14.92B	2.21	$2.07B	$10.20	16.19

Is LPLA or RJF a better dividend stock?

LPL Financial pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Raymond James Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. LPL Financial pays out 8.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Raymond James Financial pays out 19.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Raymond James Financial has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Raymond James Financial is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in LPLA or RJF?

95.7% of LPL Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 83.8% of Raymond James Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of LPL Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Raymond James Financial shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is LPLA or RJF more profitable?

Raymond James Financial has a net margin of 13.56% compared to LPL Financial's net margin of 7.91%. LPL Financial's return on equity of 39.80% beat Raymond James Financial's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
LPL Financial	7.91%	39.80%	9.76%
Raymond James Financial	13.56%	18.38%	2.63%

Summary

LPL Financial beats Raymond James Financial on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.