Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $503,000 Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 55.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $503,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HLI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $143,559,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $114,047,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 122.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,041,201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $180,815,000 after purchasing an additional 573,745 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 731.6% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 347,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,341,000 after purchasing an additional 305,685 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 341.0% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 307,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,366,000 after buying an additional 237,615 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $153.17 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.92. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $122.14 and a one year high of $192.10. The firm has a market cap of $10.74 billion, a PE ratio of 29.23 and a beta of 0.84.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $179.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.40.

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.