Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $18,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in LPL Financial in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of LPL Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in LPL Financial during the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In other LPL Financial news, Director Marc Eliot Cohen sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.85, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,663 shares in the company, valued at $4,988,907.82. The trade was a 67.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 34,465 shares of company stock valued at $12,562,070. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $326.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.19 and a 52-week high of $384.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $352.00 and a 200 day moving average of $305.72. 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 (NASDAQ:LPLA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts expect that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 8.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on LPLA. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $379.00 to $413.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $397.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $389.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on LPL Financial from $310.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.17.

LPL Financial Company 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.