Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 2,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $589,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 6,253 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 50.0% during the first 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 during the first quarter valued at approximately $18,964,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,143,000 after buying an additional 22,553 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 180,634 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,172,000 after buying an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $228.00 to $218.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.29.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of HLI stock opened at $181.89 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $137.99 and a 1-year high of $211.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $177.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.89. The company has a market cap of $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.34 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $659.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $639.08 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.17% and a net margin of 16.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.71%.

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.