Clearbridge Investments LLC Reduces Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 24.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 635,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 205,022 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $110,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dorsey Wright & Associates raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates now owns 22,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 374.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 655 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 7,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after buying an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,048,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $161.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $171.73 and a 200 day moving average of $172.85. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.14 and a 12 month high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.00.

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.