Barclays PLC Acquires 97,568 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 74.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 97,568 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.33% of Houlihan Lokey worth $47,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 4,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% in the second quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.17.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $147.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.61 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $183.59. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.99 and a twelve month high of $211.78.

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

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This trade represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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.