Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Short Interest Update

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,293,811 shares, a decrease of 13.4% from the February 26th total of 1,494,540 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 549,278 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.0%

HLI stock traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $142.18. 23,436 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 589,770. Houlihan Lokey has a 12 month low of $134.41 and a 12 month high of $211.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.03.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 36.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on HLI. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 approximately $4,781,004.52. The trade was a 15.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 14.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after acquiring an additional 6,253 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 50.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 29,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 9,891 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at $18,964,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,143,000 after acquiring an additional 22,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $220,000. 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.