Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Chairman Scott Beiser Sells 6,265 Shares of Stock

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Chairman Scott Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were 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 approximately $941,378.90. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.1%

HLI opened at $151.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.99. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.41 and a 1 year high of $211.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $148.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HLI. Weiss Ratings cut Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% 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.