LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC lessened its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 44.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,146 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 35,721 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.06% of LPL Financial worth $14,741,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $305,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $295,982,000. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 805,637 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $136,440,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in LPL Financial by 57.1% during 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 buying an additional 405,341 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director now owns 4,075 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total transaction of $1,652,001.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,954,837.66. The trade was a 21.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LPLA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup decreased 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on LPL Financial from $405.00 to $342.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $369.83.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA traded up $9.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $311.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 789,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 822,656. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $340.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $319.63. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $24.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.64. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $384.04.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 8.55%.

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.