Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 568,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,880 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.81% of Houlihan Lokey worth $99,094,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,305,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,089,260,000 after purchasing an additional 13,750 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,133,000 after acquiring an additional 84,757 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $187,506,000 after acquiring an additional 41,470 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 962,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $167,617,000 after acquiring an additional 5,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 874,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $157,291,000 after acquiring an additional 82,002 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.7%

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $136.86 on Tuesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $134.41 and a twelve month high of $211.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $149.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.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 previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 45.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group set a $160.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $191.29.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, 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 directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.