Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Grows Stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $305,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $295,982,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,905,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,278,454,000 after acquiring an additional 805,637 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $136,440,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 27.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,275,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $296,635,000 after purchasing an additional 276,166 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LPLA shares. StockNews.com cut shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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. Insiders sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070 in the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

LPL Financial Stock Down 7.6 %

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $312.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $349.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.45. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $187.19 and a one year high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. Sell-side analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 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.