BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC Makes New $424,000 Investment in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $424,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth $305,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $295,982,000. Boston Partners lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,905,541 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,278,454,000 after acquiring an additional 805,637 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $136,440,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in LPL Financial by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,115,708 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $364,290,000 after purchasing an additional 405,341 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen raised LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $414.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.83.

LPL Financial Price Performance

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

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 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%. Equities analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,988,907.82. This represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,838.75. This represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.