Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Sold by Bayforest Capital Ltd

Bayforest Capital Ltd cut its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 82.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,293 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 20.2% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $589,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $393,000. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $240,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.5% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 33,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,966,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of HLI opened at $180.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.08 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.99 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $177.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $189.03.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HLI. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $228.00 to $218.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $193.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.29.

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.