Entropy Technologies LP Boosts Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 142.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,507 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,407 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 21.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,818,000 after buying an additional 6,483 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 399,388 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,111,000 after acquiring an additional 9,768 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,615,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $255,276,000 after acquiring an additional 21,106 shares in the last quarter. Gunderson Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,133,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 2,482.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 9,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,551,000 after purchasing an additional 9,433 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI opened at $180.38 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.91. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.81 and a fifty-two week high of $192.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.42 and a beta of 0.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share 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 forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley lifted 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. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.