Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Sells 8,462 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd reduced its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 77.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,462 shares during the quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 4,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% in the second quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 16.5% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,648,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of HLI stock opened at $168.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $175.92 and a 200-day moving average of $185.39. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $137.99 and a one year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 36.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 sale, the director directly owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HLI shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.