Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Stock: Van Berkom & Associates Inc. Boosts Holdings

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 508,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 71,660 shares during the quarter. Houlihan Lokey accounts for about 2.3% of Van Berkom & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Van Berkom & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $64,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HLI. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $251,551,000 after purchasing an additional 48,126 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 15.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 616,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,540,000 after purchasing an additional 81,182 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 52.9% during the third quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 256,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,439,000 after purchasing an additional 88,862 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $28,750,000. Finally, Barlow Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% during the second quarter. Barlow Wealth Partners LLC now owns 205,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,627,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $140,150. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 22.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on HLI shares. Wall Street Zen raised Houlihan Lokey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Citizens Jmp upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.44.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.8%

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $148.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $133.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.75. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.83 and a 52 week high of $195.06.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $692.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $625.88 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 19.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 46.98%.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 1972, the firm provides financial advice and related services to corporations, financial sponsors, governments and other organizations.

The company’s main businesses include corporate finance, financial restructuring and financial and valuation advisory. Its services include advising on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, restructuring transactions, and business and asset valuations.

Houlihan Lokey serves clients across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific through an international office network.