On a day when most financial stocks lost money, LPL Financial Holdings had a huge day closing at $42.48 a share, up 10.28%. While the $3.96 jump in share price - including after-hours trading - could not be directly attributed to any transaction, we came across 2 stories featuring the company:

• LPL Awaits Fiduciary Rule ‘Disruption, After Profit Drop  (WSJournal, 4/27 6:18 pm)
• LPL Financial’s Earnings Decline  (Barron's, 4/28 1:13 pm)

Here's what we learned from those articles. LPL Financial just reported its Q1 earnings, which exceeded analyst expectations even though they fell from one year earlier. In terms of dealing with the transitory nature of the fiduciary rule, LPL Financial expects the rule to eventually take effect and benefit its business. While the firm has been pushing its business toward fee-based revenues, it will nonetheless permit its brokers to continue charging commissions - subject to certain restrictions. This is unlike the approach that Merrill, JPMorgan and other rivals are taking, and the firm is confident that this different approach will work to its benefit.