LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Position Lifted by National Pension Service

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,724 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,524 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.16% of LPL Financial worth $27,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 71.9% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,765,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $466,434,000 after purchasing an additional 738,509 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 33.2% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,103,655 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $291,586,000 after acquiring an additional 275,286 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in LPL Financial by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,589,793 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $723,329,000 after purchasing an additional 233,242 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 31.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 774,175 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $216,227,000 after purchasing an additional 183,755 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 52.6% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 477,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $133,285,000 after purchasing an additional 164,586 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LPL Financial Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of LPLA stock traded up $6.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $311.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 516,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 745,356. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $311.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $240.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.45.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 52.08% and a net margin of 8.73%. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th 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 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 9.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of LPL Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $273.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $286.92.

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.