LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Short Interest Update

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 655,500 shares, a decrease of 17.2% from the January 15th total of 791,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 561,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the company'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 value of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,301,204.80. This trade represents a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in LPL Financial during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

LPL Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of LPLA traded up $3.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $383.33. 730,854 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 626,833. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $344.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $285.83. LPL Financial has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $383.54. The company has a market cap of $28.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.87.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that LPL Financial will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LPLA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $379.17.

About LPL Financial

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.