LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $325.00 to $390.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target indicates a potential upside of 18.93% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on LPL Financial from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $311.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $303.00 to $309.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com raised LPL Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.75.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LPLA traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $327.93. The company had a trading volume of 904,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 716,874. LPL Financial has a 1-year low of $187.19 and a 1-year high of $334.83. The stock has a market cap of $24.56 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.86. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $300.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.22.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 8.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial will post 16.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,913,000 after acquiring an additional 3,444 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in LPL Financial by 98.9% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,782,000 after purchasing an additional 3,809 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $182,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in LPL Financial by 25.6% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 16,399 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,815,000 after purchasing an additional 3,339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 15.6% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 9,669 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.66% of the company's stock.

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.