LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by StockNews.com

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Monday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of LPL Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $379.17.

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LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA stock traded down $6.55 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $327.90. 828,191 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 742,660. LPL Financial has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04. The stock has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16. The stock's 50-day moving average is $352.00 and its 200-day moving average is $306.10.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that LPL Financial will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other LPL Financial news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 4,588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.07, for a total transaction of $1,652,001.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,954,837.66. This trade represents a 21.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Boston Partners boosted its position in LPL Financial by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,905,541 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,278,454,000 after acquiring an additional 805,637 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in LPL Financial by 24.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,322,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $772,930,000 after purchasing an additional 650,675 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in LPL Financial by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,050,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $996,032,000 after purchasing an additional 522,032 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in LPL Financial by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,660,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $868,757,000 after buying an additional 57,485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in LPL Financial by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,459,942 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $475,946,000 after buying an additional 23,111 shares in the last quarter. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.