LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) Releases Earnings Results

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.01 by $0.24, Zacks reports. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.47% and a net margin of 8.73%.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPL Financial stock traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $361.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,162,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,842. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $334.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $272.49. LPL Financial has a 12-month low of $187.19 and a 12-month high of $366.00. The company has a market cap of $27.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 9.02%.

Insider Activity

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.94, for a total transaction of $101,241.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,301,204.80. The trade was a 7.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on LPLA shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup lifted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on LPL Financial from $271.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $351.50.

About LPL Financial

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.