Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Sold by Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. decreased its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 255,162 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,349 shares during the period. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. owned 0.37% of Houlihan Lokey worth $32,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $28,750,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 514.7% during the third quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 128,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,230,000 after purchasing an additional 107,566 shares during the period. Fenimore Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 52.9% during the third quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 256,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $32,439,000 after purchasing an additional 88,862 shares during the period. Amundi grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 322.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 113,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,296,000 after buying an additional 86,628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 15.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 616,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,540,000 after buying an additional 81,182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HLI. Citigroup upgraded Houlihan Lokey to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.44.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI opened at $147.73 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $133.64 and its 200-day moving average is $143.53. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.83 and a 52 week high of $195.06. The firm has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.90.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $692.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $625.88 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 19.94%. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total value of $140,150.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $140,150. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. is a global investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 1972, the firm provides financial advice and related services to corporations, financial sponsors, governments and other organizations. The company’s main businesses include corporate finance, financial restructuring and financial and valuation advisory. Its services include advising on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, restructuring transactions, and business and asset valuations. Houlihan Lokey serves clients across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific through an international office network.