Securian Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 105 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $703,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $143,559,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 341.0% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 307,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,366,000 after acquiring an additional 237,615 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $24,177,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 33.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 601,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $94,974,000 after purchasing an additional 149,114 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 23.6% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 693,109 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,525,000 after purchasing an additional 132,516 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $201.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $180.00 to $179.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $159.02 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35 and a beta of 0.72. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $121.81 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $174.04 and a 200 day moving average of $172.05.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 43.51%.

Houlihan Lokey Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.