Insider Selling: Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Sells $87,085.00 in Stock

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Christopher Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $183.22 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $178.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.94. The company has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $659.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $639.08 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.17% and a net margin of 16.62%.Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $193.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $207.71.

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.