Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stake in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. $LPLA

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LPLA) by 32.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,339 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,985 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in LPL Financial were worth $7,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LPLA. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LPL Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 3,650.0% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 75 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in shares of LPL Financial by 550.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 78 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LPL Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LPL Financial by 580.0% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Aneri Jambusaria sold 308 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $94,248.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,962,990. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

LPL Financial Trading Up 4.3%

NASDAQ:LPLA opened at $353.70 on Friday. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $260.15 and a 12-month high of $403.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $301.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.27. The firm has a market cap of $28.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.21, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.50.

LPL Financial (NASDAQ:LPLA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.39 by $0.45. LPL Financial had a return on equity of 32.80% and a net margin of 5.13%.The firm had revenue of $5.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that LPL Financial Holdings Inc. will post 23.38 EPS for the current year.

LPL Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. LPL Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.57%.

Trending Headlines about LPL Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting LPL Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS rose 29% year over year to $5.84, ahead of the $5.39 consensus, while revenue climbed 35.2% to $5.19 billion versus the $5.04 billion estimate. Net income reached $379 million, or $4.74 per diluted share. LPL Financial Q2 earnings and revenues beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Asset growth and recruiting momentum remained strong. Total client assets rose 34% year over year to $2.6 trillion, advisory assets increased 46% to $1.5 trillion, and organic net new assets totaled $23 billion. Recruited assets grew 35% to $25 billion, while management described the recruiting pipeline as a record and reported 97% asset retention. Why LPL Financial stock is up today
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and analyst support improved. LPL resumed repurchases, buying back $309 million of stock in Q2 and planning approximately $300 million in Q3; its board also increased authorization by $2.5 billion. JPMorgan raised its target to $428 and KBW increased its target to $390, with both firms maintaining bullish ratings.
• Positive Sentiment: Commonwealth integration expectations improved. The Q4 2026 onboarding remains on track, expected asset retention is approximately 90%, and estimated run-rate EBITDA contribution increased from $410 million to $435 million. LPL shares and Commonwealth update
• Neutral Sentiment: LPL declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, payable August 28 to shareholders of record August 14.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher operating expenses remain a partial offset: core G&A increased 22% year over year to $519 million. In addition, reported data showed 18 insider sales and no insider purchases during the past six months, a potential sentiment headwind.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LPLA. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of LPL Financial from $374.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of LPL Financial from $464.00 to $383.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of LPL Financial from $394.00 to $401.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LPL Financial in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.62.

LPL Financial Company Profile

LPL Financial (NASDAQ: LPLA) is a U.S.-focused financial services firm that provides brokerage, custodial and advisory platforms to independent financial advisors, registered investment advisers and institutions. Operating primarily as an independent broker-dealer and custodian, the company supports a network of advisors with the operational, compliance and clearing infrastructure needed to manage client accounts and deliver investment advice outside of traditional wirehouse models.

The firm’s product and service offerings include trade execution and clearing, custody services, retirement plan services, model portfolio and advisory platforms, wealth management technology, investment research and product access across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and insurance and annuity solutions.