Magnetar Financial LLC Takes Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,007 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,953,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $162.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.98 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $173.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.01. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $122.14 and a one year high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HLI shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $192.00.

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.