James Investment Research Inc. Sells 94 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

James Investment Research Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 94 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $2,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the third quarter valued at $43,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $108,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $373.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.19 and a 1 year high of $376.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $343.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $284.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 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%. Equities analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.14 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LPLA. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 9th. TD Cowen raised LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Citigroup increased their target price on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price 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 issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.