Montanaro Asset Management Ltd Sells 56,000 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Montanaro Asset Management Ltd decreased its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 37.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 95,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 56,000 shares during the period. Houlihan Lokey comprises about 3.4% of Montanaro Asset Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd owned 0.14% of Houlihan Lokey worth $16,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $655,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,625 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey 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 report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $166.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.68 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $172.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.54. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.14 and a fifty-two week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. As a group, research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

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.