LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 0.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $377.96 and last traded at $379.35. Approximately 100,808 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 606,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $379.99.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LPLA has been the subject of several recent research reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised LPL Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 9th. 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $379.17.

LPL Financial Trading Down 2.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $27.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $348.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $288.42. 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 net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 49.41%. Analysts forecast that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.32%. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total value of $101,241.70. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,920 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $3,411,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $342,000. Kolinsky Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth $212,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $799,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.