Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Sells 23,015 Shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 69.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,015 shares during the quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.'s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $3,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in LPL Financial by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $78,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LPLA. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a 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 stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.17.

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Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

LPL Financial Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of LPL Financial stock traded up $3.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $336.89. 898,478 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 757,844. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $351.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.82. 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 Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio is 8.55%.

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.