Jennison Associates LLC Grows Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 341.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 307,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 237,615 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $53,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $76,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.6 %

HLI stock opened at $180.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $167.55. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.81 and a 12 month high of $192.10. The company has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.48 and a beta of 0.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 43.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. StockNews.com upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.40.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.