Bell Asset Management Ltd Decreases Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Bell Asset Management Ltd reduced its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 37.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,483 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $3,939,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $151.32 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $173.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.91. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 16.91%.Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HLI. Weiss Ratings upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Houlihan Lokey Profile

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.