Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 398,458 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.57% of Houlihan Lokey worth $81,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $168.90 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.99 and a 12 month high of $211.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.79 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.39.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 16.91%.During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reiterated 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 boosted their target price 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

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.