Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 270,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,490 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.39% of Houlihan Lokey worth $46,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,265,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $914,420,000 after acquiring an additional 98,495 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position 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 worth $255,276,000 after purchasing an additional 21,106 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 970,559 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $153,405,000 after purchasing an additional 26,564 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $143,559,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $114,047,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $183.40.

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Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI stock traded down $5.00 on Thursday, hitting $150.85. 92,073 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 347,398. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.14 and a twelve month high of $192.10. The business's fifty day moving average is $166.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87 and a beta of 0.84.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. Equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.51%.

Houlihan Lokey 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.