Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $1.35 Million Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 44.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,791 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,265,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $914,420,000 after purchasing an additional 98,495 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 6.8% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 208,851 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,875,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,651,000 after purchasing an additional 161,647 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $143,559,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $172.96. The stock had a trading volume of 258,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 352,988. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.14 and a 12 month high of $192.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.01 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average is $162.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.90.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. Houlihan Lokey's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.