Nuveen Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 126,106 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,761 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Houlihan Lokey worth $21,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,122,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of Houlihan Lokey 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $0.54 during trading on Thursday, reaching $173.59. 25,269 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 411,993. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.14 and a 52-week high of $192.10. The company has a market capitalization of $12.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13 and a beta of 0.82. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $162.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $628.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.00.

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.