Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 270,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,490 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.39% of Houlihan Lokey worth $46,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HLI. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. StockNews.com lowered 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of HLI opened at $146.40 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $169.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $172.66. The stock has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.94 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $122.14 and a one year high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted 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 net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. Analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 43.51%.

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.