Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Acquires New Stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 36,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,955,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $306.02. 413,918 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 822,178. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $384.04. The company has a market capitalization of $24.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $335.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $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 (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th were paid a $0.30 dividend. 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 presently 8.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LPLA shares. Barclays cut their target price on LPL Financial from $414.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.83.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,988,907.82. This trade 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 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.