Argent Capital Management LLC Acquires 1,638 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,451 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,638 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.35% of Houlihan Lokey worth $42,104,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $76,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 69.1% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 2.5 %

HLI traded up $4.43 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $179.74. The company had a trading volume of 417,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 427,415. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $179.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.41. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.84 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The company has a market capitalization of $12.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.76 and a beta of 0.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The company had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 46.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $173.40.

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.