Insider Trading February 27, 2026

LPL Financial CFO Sells Stake as Company Posts Strong Q4 Results and Announces Strategic Partnership

CFO Matthew Audette executed planned share sales totaling roughly $506k; LPL posts better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings and moves to expand insurance capabilities

By Priya Menon LPLA
LPL Financial CFO Sells Stake as Company Posts Strong Q4 Results and Announces Strategic Partnership
LPLA

Matthew J. Audette, president and chief financial officer of LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA), sold 1,581 shares on February 26, 2026 under a pre-existing Rule 10b5-1 plan, generating approximately $506,715. The transactions, disclosed on a Form 4, were part of a set of moves that also included share dispositions to cover taxes and cost-free issuances. The company recently reported a robust fourth quarter of 2025 and announced a strategic partnership to enhance its insurance distribution capabilities.

Key Points

  • CFO Matthew J. Audette sold 1,581 shares on February 26, 2026 for about $506,715, with transaction prices between $318.51 and $322.15.
  • The Form 4 shows additional activity: 2,351 shares sold to cover taxes at $318.47 (totaling $748,722), and the receipt of 2,152 and 6,624 shares at no cost; Audette now directly owns 21,382 shares.
  • LPL reported stronger-than-expected Q4 2025 results (adjusted EPS $5.23 vs. $4.94 estimate; revenue $4.93B vs. $4.91B estimate) and announced a May 2026 partnership with Simplicity Group to expand insurance resources for advisors.

Matthew J. Audette, who serves as president and chief financial officer at LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA), completed a block of stock sales on February 26, 2026, disposing of 1,581 shares of the company's common stock for an aggregate amount near $506,715. The trades were carried out in a sequence of transactions at prices that ranged between $318.51 and $322.15 per share.

Those sales were reported on a Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing also shows that Audette sold an additional 2,351 shares at $318.47 per share to satisfy tax obligations, representing a value of $748,722. In the same reporting period, the filing records that he received 2,152 shares and 6,624 shares of common stock at no cost.

After accounting for these movements, Audette is listed as directly owning 21,382 shares of LPL Financial. The sales executed on February 26 were carried out under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that Audette adopted on August 14, 2025.

On the company metrics side, LPL Financial is described as a $24.05 billion financial services firm with a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.31. An InvestingPro analysis referenced in the filing indicates that LPL appears undervalued relative to its Fair Value assessment.

Separately, LPL reported fourth-quarter 2025 results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $5.23, beating the $4.94 estimate, and reported revenue of $4.93 billion versus a forecast of $4.91 billion. These results prompted analysts to revise their price targets upward: Citizens increased its target to $500 from $475, and Jefferies raised its target to $464 from $440 while maintaining a Buy rating and noting progress in the company’s Commonwealth transaction.

In strategic activity, LPL announced a partnership with Simplicity Group that will take effect in May 2026. Under the agreement, Simplicity will become the preferred Brokerage General Agency for LPL, a move intended to provide the firm’s advisors with enhanced insurance technology and resources.

Market commentary included in the broader disclosure highlights sector-level concerns about AI-driven disruption in wealth management - a pressure point mentioned alongside peers such as UBS Group AG. Nonetheless, the company’s recent earnings outperformance, analyst upgrades, and the Simplicity partnership are cited as factors continuing to attract analyst support and investor attention.

For investors seeking additional valuation and financial-detail context, a comprehensive Pro Research Report on LPL Financial is available through InvestingPro.


Article note: The transactions described above come from the company's regulatory filing and public financial disclosures. The Form 4 specifies the timing, amounts and the fact that the sales were conducted pursuant to an established Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement.

Risks

  • Insider sales to satisfy tax obligations and planned trades under a Rule 10b5-1 plan can complicate near-term ownership signaling - relevant to investor perceptions in the financial services sector.
  • Concerns about AI-driven disruption in wealth management are cited as a sector-level uncertainty that may affect competitive dynamics for firms in asset and advisory services.
  • Analyst expectations and price-target revisions create sensitivity to future earnings and strategic execution, particularly around transactions like LPL’s Commonwealth integration and the newly announced Simplicity partnership.

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