BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Lowers Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. decreased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,026 shares during the period. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $6,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $685,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $115,478,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 85.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $140.53 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.01. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.41 and a 52 week high of $211.78.

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

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors 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 yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.29.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chairman owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Company 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.