Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. trimmed its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 69.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,015 shares during the quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $3,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Potentia Wealth purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth about $515,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,522,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in LPL Financial by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 115,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,789,000 after buying an additional 28,072 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in LPL Financial by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 489,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $159,853,000 after acquiring an additional 15,554 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the 4th quarter worth $260,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of LPLA stock opened at $342.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $352.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $309.86. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a one year low of $187.19 and a one year high of $384.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 2.16.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.01 by $0.24. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 49.41% and a net margin of 8.55%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.35%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LPLA shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price target on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $390.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.17.

Insider Transactions at LPL Financial

In other news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total value of $402,435.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,075 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,838.75. This trade represents a 21.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 28,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.14, for a total value of $10,507,633.78. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070 in the last quarter. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.