5,571 Shares in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Acquired by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $970,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research cut Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI opened at $139.21 on Wednesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.41 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $149.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.01.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 45.02%.

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.