Cetera Investment Advisers Raises Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 22,438 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $3,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 744.2% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 550 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 101.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 613 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $190.09. 83,507 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 404,126. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.01 and a beta of 0.86. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.99 and a twelve month high of $198.78. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.44.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $605.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $573.07 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. Houlihan Lokey's revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.40.

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.