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

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 44.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,331 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $179.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.40.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $150.40 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.98. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.53 and a 12-month high of $192.10. The stock has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70 and a beta of 0.84.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

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.