Securian Asset Management Inc. Invests $522,000 in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Securian Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $522,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 20.5% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,016 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 36,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,446 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% during the third quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $134.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.27 billion, a PE ratio of 32.62 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $122.07. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.20 and a fifty-two week high of $137.92.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.07. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 14.64%. The firm had revenue of $520.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $508.99 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on HLI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $127.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Tuesday, April 9th.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.94, for a total transaction of $128,940.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 25.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.