Congress Asset Management Co. Lowers Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Congress Asset Management Co. lowered its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 28.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 266,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 108,644 shares during the quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. owned approximately 0.38% of Houlihan Lokey worth $46,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $140.36 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.57. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $136.68 and a one year 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLI has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $243.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by 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.