Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Buys 208,851 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,281,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 208,851 shares during the quarter. Houlihan Lokey makes up approximately 1.3% of Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 4.68% of Houlihan Lokey worth $569,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 21,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,685,000 after purchasing an additional 1,372 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,399 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,279,000 after purchasing an additional 2,737 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 464,099 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $80,595,000 after buying an additional 68,753 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 45,385 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,874,000 after acquiring an additional 3,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 26,312 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HLI. StockNews.com lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $179.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $192.00 price target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $160.06. 57,898 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 348,542. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.74. The company has a market capitalization of $11.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.49 and a beta of 0.84. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.53 and a 12 month high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. Analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

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.