Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Makes New $1.03 Million Investment in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,159 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,031,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in LPL Financial by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth $78,000. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA traded up $0.80 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $342.54. The company had a trading volume of 385,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 743,231. 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 1 year low of $187.19 and a 1 year high of $384.04. The company has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $352.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $308.94.

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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, 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.55%.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070 over the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LPLA shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.17.

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.