Atwood & Palmer Inc. Purchases Shares of 69,960 Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake of 69,960 shares of Houlihan Lokey worth approximately $12.19 million, representing about 0.10% of the company.
• Company insiders have been selling: Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares at $170.86 and General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares at $143.40, with insiders now owning 22.83% of the stock.
• Houlihan Lokey beat Q4 EPS estimates with $1.94 (vs. $1.85 expected) and revenue rose 13% YoY; the firm pays a quarterly dividend of $0.60 (annualized $2.40, ~1.5% yield) and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $197.71 price target.

Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 69,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,186,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. owned about 0.10% of Houlihan Lokey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. The trade was a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $158.36 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.41 and a 52 week high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $152.30 and its 200 day moving average is $171.22.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $197.71.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HLI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.