LPL Financial (LPLA) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Tuesday

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Tuesday, April 30th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $3.79 per share for the quarter. Parties interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.33 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $2.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 57.68% and a net margin of 10.61%. LPL Financial’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.21 EPS. On average, analysts expect LPL Financial to post $16 EPS for the current fiscal year and $19 EPS for the next fiscal year.

LPL Financial Stock Performance

LPLA opened at $266.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.84. LPL Financial has a 52-week low of $179.00 and a 52-week high of $274.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. The business’s fifty day moving average is $263.85 and its 200-day moving average is $241.83.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LPL Financial

In related news, Director Kabir Sethi sold 1,300 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.50, for a total transaction of $346,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,730,292.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Kabir Sethi sold 1,300 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.50, for a total transaction of $346,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,730,292.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dan H. Arnold sold 34,807 shares of LPL Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.54, for a total value of $9,277,457.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 141,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,798,037.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 60,151 shares of company stock valued at $15,911,088. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LPLA. Morgan Stanley upgraded LPL Financial from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $254.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Raymond James initiated coverage on LPL Financial in a report on Thursday, April 4th. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $260.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on LPL Financial from $266.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LPL Financial presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $268.36.

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.