Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Sells 8,462 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 77.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,462 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI stock opened at $168.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $175.92 and a 200-day moving average of $185.39. The stock has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94 and a beta of 0.94. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share 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 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HLI shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.17.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. The trade was a 15.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

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.