California State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 2,947 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,947 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.08% of Houlihan Lokey worth $9,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,265,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $914,420,000 after buying an additional 98,495 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,281,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $569,830,000 after acquiring an additional 208,851 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,875,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $325,651,000 after acquiring an additional 161,647 shares during the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,251,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $217,393,000 after acquiring an additional 20,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 122.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,041,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $180,815,000 after purchasing an additional 573,745 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:HLI traded down $0.76 on Wednesday, hitting $174.62. The stock had a trading volume of 62,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 350,266. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.14 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The business's fifty day moving average is $163.75 and its 200 day moving average is $171.37. The company has a market cap of $12.19 billion, a PE ratio of 33.32 and a beta of 0.82.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $666.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 1.37%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.00.

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.