Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 1,823.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 95,298 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,343 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned 0.14% of Houlihan Lokey worth $16,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth $76,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 69.1% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at $92,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $186.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $179.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.80. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.28 and a 1 year high of $192.10. The stock has a market cap of $12.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.05 and a beta of 0.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The business had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut Houlihan Lokey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $173.40.

Houlihan Lokey 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.