Baird Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $546,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 24.8% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $2.07 on Monday, hitting $178.74. 538,796 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 352,119. The company has a fifty day moving average of $160.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $171.89. The company has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.11 and a beta of 0.82. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $127.14 and a one year high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is currently 41.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $185.00.

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.