Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Sells 13,836 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 59.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 13,836 shares during the quarter. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,942,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 14.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,008,000 after acquiring an additional 6,253 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 29,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 9,891 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter worth about $18,964,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,143,000 after buying an additional 22,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.7% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 21,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,936,000 after buying an additional 1,930 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. This trade represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $147.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 22.61 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $173.16 and a 200 day moving average of $183.59. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $137.99 and a one year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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 issued 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on HLI shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $209.17.

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.