LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stake Lifted by Teca Partners LP

Teca Partners LP raised its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 251.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,875 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 37,814 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial makes up approximately 11.0% of Teca Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Teca Partners LP owned 0.07% of LPL Financial worth $17,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LPLA. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $415.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One 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, LPL Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.83.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA stock traded up $7.81 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $301.17. 198,590 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 913,743. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $384.04. The firm has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $332.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $322.65. 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 (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its 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, equities research analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.