Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $284,000 Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at 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. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $173.89 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $158.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.49. The company has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.19 and a beta of 0.82. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.14 and a 12-month high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.35. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $628.25 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 43.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note 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 raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $186.40.

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.