LPL Financial (LPLA) is said to be exploring a possible sale of the company, along with other potential strategic moves, according to an exclusive news report from Reuters, which cites people familiar with the matter.
The independent broker-dealer is reported to be working with Goldman Sachs to explore a deal with private-equity firms, as well as other companies, as of Tuesday.
Year to date, the IBD's stock is down about 23% vs. a gain of about 4.5% in the S&P 500.
In August, the firm said it is not giving all of its corporate employees merit-related pay raises this year. However, some of its 3,200 employees will be getting discretionary bonuses in 2016, and all staff members are eligible for annual bonuses.
"Earlier this week, we communicated to employees our decision to provide one-time discretionary bonuses to select employees instead of firmwide merit increases for 2016," the company said in a statement at the time. "While our business remains strong, we believe continued market volatility and uncertainty warrants a more cautious approach to expense management at this time."
