VELA Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

VELA Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 62.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,734 shares during the period. VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $3,400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLI. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 13,041.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 8,459,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,134,665,000 after buying an additional 8,395,075 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 362.1% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,703,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $296,706,000 after acquiring an additional 1,334,769 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $208,934,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,973 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $115,478,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at $35,728,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $137.05 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $143.35. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $112.83 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.96.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.29). The firm had revenue of $511.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $602.38 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The business’s revenue was down 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 47.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on HLI. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $148.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $166.38.

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.