O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,321 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,015 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at $143,559,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $114,047,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 731.6% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 347,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,341,000 after acquiring an additional 305,685 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position 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 valued at $53,366,000 after acquiring an additional 237,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at approximately $24,177,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI opened at $146.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.94 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.14 and a fifty-two week high of $192.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $169.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.66.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.