117,605 Shares in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 117,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $16,890,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $917,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.8%

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $138.73 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.22. The stock has a market cap of $9.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.83 and a 12 month high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced 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 return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $679.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.02%.

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.