GW&K Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

GW&K Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 426,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 16,873 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned about 0.61% of Houlihan Lokey worth $74,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 716 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at $811,000. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $1,696,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $727,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 486,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $84,566,000 after acquiring an additional 4,896 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $170.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.54 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $121.81 and a one year high of $192.10. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $177.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.14.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HLI shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $194.40.

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.