William Blair Raises Earnings Estimates for LPL Financial

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) – Stock analysts at William Blair increased their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of LPL Financial in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, October 31st. William Blair analyst J. Schmitt now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings of $16.20 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $15.74. The consensus estimate for LPL Financial’s current full-year earnings is $15.77 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for LPL Financial’s Q1 2025 earnings at $4.62 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $4.40 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.56 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $4.72 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on LPLA. StockNews.com upgraded LPL Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America upgraded shares of LPL Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $268.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on LPL Financial from $261.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on LPL Financial from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on LPL Financial from $309.00 to $282.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LPL Financial currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.92.

LPL Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $273.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 2.16 and a current ratio of 2.16. The company has a market capitalization of $20.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $235.38 and a 200-day moving average of $248.45. LPL Financial has a one year low of $187.19 and a one year high of $291.67.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.69 by $0.47. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 52.08% and a net margin of 8.73%. The company had revenue of $3.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LPL Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPLA. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in LPL Financial by 3.2% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 3.9% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in LPL Financial by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in LPL Financial by 74.7% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in LPL Financial by 1.0% in the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 5,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.02%.

About LPL Financial

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.