Eventide Asset Management LLC Boosts Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Eventide Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 234,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,356 shares during the period. Eventide Asset Management LLC owned 0.34% of Houlihan Lokey worth $40,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on HLI. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $137.84 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $133.83 and a one year high of $211.78. The company has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.72.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $679.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.02%.

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.