Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Acquires Shares of 9,764 Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 9,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,696,000. Houlihan Lokey makes up 1.7% of Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth approximately $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE HLI opened at $170.63 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.15. The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $121.81 and a 1 year high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on HLI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.