LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24, Zacks reports. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $361.80. 1,162,545 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 548,842. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $334.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $272.49. LPL Financial has a 12 month low of $187.19 and a 12 month high of $366.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 9.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on LPL Financial from $303.00 to $309.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $378.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.50.

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.