2Xideas AG Decreases Holdings in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

2Xideas AG lowered its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 32.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 19,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,175 shares during the period. LPL Financial comprises approximately 1.3% of 2Xideas AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. 2Xideas AG’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $7,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 77.3% in the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 2,701,709 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,013,060,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,249 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in LPL Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $402,312,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 61.1% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,442,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $915,745,000 after purchasing an additional 926,122 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 550.5% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 759,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $248,367,000 after purchasing an additional 642,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in LPL Financial by 8.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,986,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,994,798,000 after buying an additional 613,909 shares during the period. 95.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LPL Financial Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of LPLA opened at $368.50 on Tuesday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $262.83 and a 1-year high of $403.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $348.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $360.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.93, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.60.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. LPL Financial had a net margin of 5.35% and a return on equity of 36.80%. LPL Financial’s revenue was up 46.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 19.35 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 13th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on LPLA. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $421.00 price objective on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, October 31st. JMP Securities set a $475.00 price target on LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group set a $455.00 price target on LPL Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on LPL Financial in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $365.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a report on Friday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $429.00.

Insider Activity at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Greg Gates sold 1,500 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.43, for a total transaction of $564,645.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,370 shares in the company, valued at $5,785,729.10. The trade was a 8.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 80 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $352.48, for a total value of $28,198.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,939,344.96. This trade represents a 1.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,330 shares of company stock worth $828,658 over the last 90 days. 0.70% 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.