Aviva PLC Sells 1,061 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Aviva PLC reduced its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 28.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,061 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter worth $46,236,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1,168.0% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 239,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $38,683,000 after acquiring an additional 220,632 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at about $29,919,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $32,882,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at about $23,478,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $180.56 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $211.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $195.70 and a 200 day moving average of $187.72. The stock has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40 and a beta of 0.88.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The business had revenue of $659.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $232.00 to $226.00 and set a “moderate buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $7,998,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total transaction of $98,110.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 47,311 shares of company stock worth $9,477,040. 22.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.