Nomura Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% in 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 in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $173.04. The stock had a trading volume of 312,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 352,157. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.14 and a twelve month high of $192.10. The stock has a market cap of $12.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.02 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $161.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.98.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $628.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued 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 of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.