LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $278.23.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded LPL Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $235.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $325.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $313.00 to $273.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Key Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in LPL Financial by 360.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Up 0.7 %

LPL Financial stock opened at $249.71 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market cap of $18.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a fifty day moving average of $220.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.32. LPL Financial has a twelve month low of $187.19 and a twelve month high of $289.88.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.66 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.89 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.91% and a return on equity of 52.14%. LPL Financial’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.94 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that LPL Financial will post 15.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.06%.

About LPL Financial

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.