Axa S.A. Sells 220 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Axa S.A. trimmed its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in LPL Financial by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 9,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,166,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Sanchez Wealth Management Group grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Sanchez Wealth Management Group now owns 1,686 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its position in LPL Financial by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 916 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LPLA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on LPL Financial from $414.00 to $365.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One 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, LPL Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.50.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,490,838.75. This represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total transaction of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This trade represents a 21.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Stock Up 6.3 %

LPLA opened at $360.42 on Friday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $384.04. The firm has a market cap of $28.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.67, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $320.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.54 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.83 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

LPL Financial 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.