J2 Capital Management Inc Makes New $335,000 Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

J2 Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,929 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $76,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings 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. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth about $92,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI traded up $1.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $181.21. The stock had a trading volume of 326,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 321,812. The firm's 50 day moving average is $179.43 and its 200 day moving average is $164.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.06 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.67 and a twelve month high of $192.10.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $173.40.

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.