Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

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

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 21.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,821 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,818,000 after purchasing an additional 6,483 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 80.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 2,521 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 9,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,657,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1,823.3% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 95,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,550,000 after purchasing an additional 90,343 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:HLI opened at $180.78 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $160.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.89. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.14 and a twelve month high of $192.10. The company has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.50 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HLI. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Four research 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 "Hold" and an average 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.

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