Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Reduces Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lowered its stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,401 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $21,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the third quarter worth $31,000. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in LPL Financial by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 385 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LPLA. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on LPL Financial from $325.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Barclays upped their target price on LPL Financial from $378.00 to $379.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $351.50.

LPL Financial Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ LPLA opened at $356.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 1.07 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 Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $187.19 and a one year high of $361.63. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $329.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $269.38.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 49.47%. The business had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.74 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 16.15 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s payout ratio is 9.02%.

Insider Activity

In other LPL Financial news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 305 shares of the company’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 value of $101,241.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,301,204.80. This represents a 7.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.