Handelsbanken Fonder AB Trims Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 313,458 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 85,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $54,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HLI. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,495,000 after buying an additional 307,214 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 153.8% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 274,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,376,000 after buying an additional 166,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 19.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 956,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,376,000 after buying an additional 157,605 shares during the last quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 411.1% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 170,617 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,031,000 after buying an additional 137,237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 589,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $120,953,000 after buying an additional 119,440 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 3.1%

NYSE:HLI opened at $147.42 on Wednesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.41 and a 52 week high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.29 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $148.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.20.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HLI shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research cut Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.29.

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.