Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Grows Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 15.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,694 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $13,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the third quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 4,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $939,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the second quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $151.32 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.99 and a 12 month high of $211.78. The stock has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.03.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The business’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 36.87%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 27,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,781,004.52. This trade represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. 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 report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.17.

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.