Impact Capital Partners LLC Makes New $941,000 Investment in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Impact Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $941,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in LPL Financial by 24.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,322,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $772,930,000 after buying an additional 650,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,436,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $333,581,000 after purchasing an additional 36,474 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 27.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,275,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $296,635,000 after purchasing an additional 276,166 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $295,982,000. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 750,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $174,472,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LPLA shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $277.00 to $413.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price target on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.17.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $319.20 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $353.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.31. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $384.04. The firm has a market cap of $23.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.74, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 earnings per share for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 8.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total transaction of $10,507,633.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,988,907.82. This trade represents a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,838.75. The trade was a 21.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,465 shares of company stock worth $12,562,070. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.