Atala Financial Inc Takes Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $59,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LPLA. Impact Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $941,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its position in LPL Financial by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 15,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,040,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc boosted its position in LPL Financial by 80.1% during the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 2,838 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,145,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 31.5% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of LPL Financial stock opened at $321.99 on Friday. 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 Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $352.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $302.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,954,837.66. This represents a 21.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LPLA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.17.

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.