Vista Finance LLC Makes New Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Vista Finance LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,002 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $348,000. Houlihan Lokey makes up approximately 0.4% of Vista Finance LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 4,275 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $676,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $325,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 27.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,733 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 157,759 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,929,000 after purchasing an additional 1,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berry Wealth Group LP raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP now owns 2,209 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on HLI shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. 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 target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $178.27 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.81 and a 52-week high of $192.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $177.57 and a 200-day moving average of $169.60. The company has a market capitalization of $12.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.02 and a beta of 0.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 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.