AE Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,281,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $569,830,000 after acquiring an additional 208,851 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,875,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,651,000 after acquiring an additional 161,647 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,251,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $217,393,000 after acquiring an additional 20,354 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 122.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,041,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $180,815,000 after acquiring an additional 573,745 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 772,789 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $134,195,000 after buying an additional 73,566 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.5%

Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Friday, hitting $189.74. The stock had a trading volume of 356,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,984. The stock has a market cap of $13.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.86. The stock's 50 day moving average is $183.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.09. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $198.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%. The company had revenue of $605.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.40%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total transaction of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. Company insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.40.

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.