Clearbridge Investments LLC Reduces Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Clearbridge Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 24.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 635,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 205,022 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.91% of Houlihan Lokey worth $110,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 6,749 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 13.1% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,867,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,230,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 17,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $161.27 on Tuesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.14 and a twelve month high of $192.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 30.78 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $171.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.85.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 43.51%.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.