Argent Capital Management LLC Has $43.47 Million Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Argent Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. by 2.6%, owning 241,587 shares valued at approximately $43.47 million.
• Several analysts have recently upgraded Houlihan Lokey's stock rating, with target prices ranging from $209.00 to $232.00 as they indicate a "Moderate Buy" average rating.
• Houlihan Lokey announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.2%, reflecting a payout ratio of 40.40%.

Argent Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 241,587 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,012 shares during the quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC owned about 0.35% of Houlihan Lokey worth $43,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $252,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,507 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 70.2% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 3,249 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,091,000. Finally, Wolverine Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $270,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $210.60.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total transaction of $7,998,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total transaction of $98,110.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,311 shares of company stock worth $10,391,090. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $207.87 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $196.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.20. The firm has a market cap of $14.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.00 and a beta of 0.86. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $137.99 and a 52 week high of $209.39.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $573.07 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is currently 40.40%.

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.

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