WealthCare Investment Partners LLC Takes $222,000 Position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

WealthCare Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 677 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LPLA. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in LPL Financial by 32.3% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 385 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on LPLA. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $435.00 target price on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA stock traded down $5.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $373.59. The stock had a trading volume of 821,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 653,045. The stock's 50 day moving average is $348.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.42. The firm has a market cap of $27.97 billion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.87. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.19 and a 52 week high of $384.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

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

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.32%. 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.