Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Purchased by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 20.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 544,862 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 92,453 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $94,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on HLI shares. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI stock opened at $141.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day moving average is $149.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.40. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.41 and a 1 year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.02%.

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.