Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Christopher Crain Sells 500 Shares

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Christopher Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $141.13 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 1.00. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.41 and a 52-week high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HLI. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.86.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm’s core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.