ING Groep NV Makes New Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 22,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,640,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HLI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.17.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $166.15 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $187.14. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.52 and a beta of 0.94.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 had revenue of $717.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $696.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

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.