Champlain Investment Partners LLC Invests $29.92 Million in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Champlain Investment Partners LLC made a new investment of approximately $29.92 million by acquiring 185,255 shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in HLI, with Comerica Bank boosting holdings by 71.5% and Jump Financial LLC increasing its position by 327.9% in the same period.
• After a positive earnings report, analysts have set a consensus target price of $206.40 for HLI shares, with most ratings being either "Buy" or "Hold," reflecting positive market sentiment.

Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 185,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $29,919,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Houlihan Lokey at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Motco bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3,714.3% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 267 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.7%

HLI traded down $1.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $199.40. The stock had a trading volume of 585,482 shares, compared to its average volume of 351,355. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $191.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.73. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $201.63. The stock has a market cap of $14.02 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, July 14th. 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 note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $7,998,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,500 shares of company stock valued at $8,998,560 in the last quarter. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.