Chiron Investment Management LLC Invests $1.20 Million in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Chiron Investment Management LLC bought a new position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,204,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LPLA. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $369.83.

LPL Financial Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of LPLA traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $306.02. The stock had a trading volume of 413,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,178. The company has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $335.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.19 and a 12 month high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. Equities research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. LPL Financial's payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of 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 represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 over the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.