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Have you been paying attention to shares of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (LPLA)? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 10.1% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $268.01 in the previous session. LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has gained 66.7% since the start of the year compared to the -15.2% move for the Zacks Finance sector and the -7% return for the Zacks Financial – Investment Bank industry.
What’s Driving the Outperformance?
The stock has a great record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn’t missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on October 27, 2022, LPL Financial Holdings Inc. reported EPS of $3.13 versus consensus estimate of $2.84.
For the current fiscal year, LPL Financial Holdings Inc. is expected to post earnings of $11.32 per share on $8.6 billion in revenues. This represents a 61.25% change in EPS on a 11.42% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $19.61 per share on $9.77 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 73.25% and 13.56%, respectively.
Valuation Metrics
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.
On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as they provide investors with an additional way to sort through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. has a Value Score of C. The stock’s Growth and Momentum Scores are A and B, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.
In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 23.6X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 13X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 26.4X versus its peer group’s average of 6.5X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 0.45. This isn’t enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.
Zacks Rank
We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, LPL Financial Holdings Inc. currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) thanks to rising earnings estimates.
Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if LPL Financial Holdings Inc. passes the test. Thus, it seems as though LPL Financial Holdings Inc. shares could have a bit more room to run in the near term.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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