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

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 15.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 219,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 40,926 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.32% of Houlihan Lokey worth $29,459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HLI. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $161.00 to $147.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $148.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.38.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI stock opened at $125.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.92. The stock has a market cap of $8.66 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $112.83 and a one year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.29). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.20% and a net margin of 16.10%.The company had revenue of $511.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $602.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

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.