Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 2,309 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,309 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.17% of Houlihan Lokey worth $20,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $143,559,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at about $114,047,000. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 731.6% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 347,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $60,341,000 after acquiring an additional 305,685 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 237,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $24,177,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of HLI opened at $166.11 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $170.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.70 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.14 and a 12-month high of $192.10.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Company 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.