Pier Capital LLC Acquires 16,894 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Pier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 62.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 44,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,894 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $7,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MGO One Seven LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 8,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,463,000 after buying an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,432,000 after buying an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 123,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,542,000 after buying an additional 17,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI opened at $153.39 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $150.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.85. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.41 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.66, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.15% and a net margin of 16.26%.The business had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.73 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 38.59%.

Key Headlines Impacting Houlihan Lokey

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 (16.7% increase), with an ex‑dividend/record timetable in early June — this boosts yield (~1.8%) and returns cash to shareholders, supporting investor demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal‑year revenue grew to $2.62B from $2.39B a year earlier, showing annual top‑line expansion despite a weaker quarter. Business Wire: Fiscal Year and Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target from $177 to $172 but kept an “outperform” rating — a modest downgrade that still implies upside vs. the current share level. Benzinga: KBW Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets published transcripts, metric breakdowns and valuation pieces assessing the quarter and HLI’s multiple; these provide color but no material guidance change so far. Examples: earnings call transcript and valuation writeups. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Core near‑term catalyst: Q4 results missed estimates — EPS of $1.63 vs. consensus ~ $1.79–$1.84 and revenue of ~$636M vs. est. ~$679M. Revenue fell ~4.6% year‑over‑year and quarterly profitability softened, which is the primary reason for downward estimate revisions and investor caution. Zacks: HLI Misses Q4 Estimates

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the topic of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. UBS Group set a $160.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.29.

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.