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

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,369,875 shares, a growth of 36.5% from the January 29th total of 1,003,414 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 618,407 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 618,407 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 362.1% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,703,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,706,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334,769 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $208,934,000 after buying an additional 1,156,973 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $230,335,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth about $126,723,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% during the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 546,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $98,314,000 after acquiring an additional 361,085 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.17.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.0%

Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $163.76. The stock had a trading volume of 441,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 566,550. The firm has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 0.94. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $175.66 and a 200 day moving average of $185.07.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 36.87%.

Houlihan Lokey Company 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.