Donoghue Forlines LLC Buys New Stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,110,000. LPL Financial accounts for 0.7% of Donoghue Forlines LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $809,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $322,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 168.9% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $260,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $253,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LPLA shares. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $378.00 to $379.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $351.50.

LPL Financial Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $357.23 on Thursday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $361.63. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $329.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $269.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.75 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.87.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.02%.

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.