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On Friday, JMP Securities maintained a bullish stance on LPL Financial Holdings (NASDAQ:LPLA), reiterating a Market Outperform rating and a price target of $435.00. The stock, currently trading near its 52-week high of $366, has demonstrated remarkable strength with a 52% return over the past year. The firm highlighted LPL Financial’s robust performance over the past year, noting a 7% core organic growth, which increased to 10% with the inclusion of Prudential (LON:PRU)’s results.
LPL Financial’s management has expressed optimism about the company’s prospects, citing strong opportunities across various affiliation channels. The current recruitment pipeline was described as strong, which is noteworthy considering the beginning of the year is typically a challenging period for recruitment.
The company’s success in the previous year included a significant increase in market share, with a record $149 billion in recruited assets, marking a 28% year-over-year growth. Even excluding larger Enterprises, the recruited assets stood at an impressive $86 billion. This performance, according to JMP Securities, indicates that there is still room for acceleration in LPL Financial’s market share gains. Discover more insights about LPLA’s growth potential and 11 additional key insights with InvestingPro.
The firm’s achievements are seen as a testament to its competitive position in the market, and JMP Securities’ outlook suggests that LPL Financial is well-positioned to continue its growth trajectory. With a healthy current ratio of 2.24 and a market capitalization of $27.09 billion, the reiterated price target of $435.00 reflects confidence in the company’s ability to capitalize on its opportunities and sustain its positive momentum.
In other recent news, LPL Financial has been the subject of several significant developments. The company agreed to pay an $18 million civil penalty to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to persistent issues with its anti-money laundering program. The SEC found that LPL knowingly violated federal law by failing to adequately verify customer identities and manage high-risk accounts.
Simultaneously, LPL Financial and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) each agreed to pay a $900,000 penalty to the SEC for providing incomplete and inaccurate securities trading data. Both firms have since taken steps to enhance their reporting systems and controls.
In an upbeat note, JPMorgan upgraded LPL Financial’s stock rating and raised its target to $397, indicating confidence in the firm’s performance. The analyst firm also revised its 2026 earnings estimates for LPL Financial upwards by approximately 10%.
LPL Financial recently settled with its former CEO, Dan H. Arnold, allowing him to retain stock options valued at approximately $12 million. The company has also streamlined its debt structure, replacing its existing Term Loan B with a new Term Loan A, a move expected to save the company around $4 million annually in cash interest expenses.
Lastly, LPL Financial has been actively expanding its workforce and asset base. The company acquired Atria Wealth Solutions, adding 2,200 advisors, and plans to onboard the wealth management businesses of Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) and Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) by early 2025. These moves are expected to contribute approximately $76 billion in assets. The company also plans to acquire The Investment Center in the first half of 2025 and restart share repurchases in Q4, targeting $100 million.
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