Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

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Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 51,901 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,843 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Houlihan Lokey worth $8,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,331 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 58,422 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,145,000 after purchasing an additional 21,601 shares during the period. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $594,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,063,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 2.8%

HLI traded up $5.3320 during trading on Friday, reaching $197.3520. The company had a trading volume of 378,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 402,889. The stock has a market cap of $13.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.22 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $174.07. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $137.99 and a 52 week high of $198.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.07 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%.Houlihan Lokey's revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total transaction of $914,050.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 22.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.