LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) Shares Sold by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. cut its stake in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) by 47.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,275 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,691 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in LPL Financial by 9.9% during 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 buying an additional 233,242 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 71.9% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,765,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $466,434,000 after buying an additional 738,509 shares in the last quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 1,194,715 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $333,684,000 after purchasing an additional 88,635 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in 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 valued at $291,586,000 after buying an additional 275,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of LPL Financial by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 927,369 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $245,011,000 after acquiring an additional 153,072 shares during the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ LPLA traded down $1.37 on Friday, reaching $280.81. 1,022,341 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 805,129. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $235.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $248.60. The firm has a market cap of $20.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.85. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.19 and a fifty-two week high of $291.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $3.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 52.08%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.74 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 15.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial's payout ratio is 9.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on LPLA shares. Bank of America raised shares of LPL Financial from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $268.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.