Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,331 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,031 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,875,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $325,651,000 after acquiring an additional 161,647 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $479,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI opened at $150.40 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70 and a beta of 0.84. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.53 and a 1-year 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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $179.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.