Earnest Partners LLC Sells 51,336 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Earnest Partners LLC lowered its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,421,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 51,336 shares during the period. Houlihan Lokey accounts for approximately 2.2% of Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $497,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% in 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 Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:HLI opened at $139.57 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $170.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $182.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $137.99 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $243.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.57.

Houlihan Lokey 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.