Insider Selling: Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 3.3 %

HLI stock traded down $5.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $151.45. The company had a trading volume of 229,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 327,252. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85 and a beta of 0.67. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $94.67 and a one year high of $157.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.13.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 15.30%. The company had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $508.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,345,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% in the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 6.3% in the second quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $131.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $150.25.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.