Cwm LLC Reduces Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

CWM LLC lessened its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 12.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,335 shares during the period. CWM LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at about $54,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 550 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 101.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 613 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $105,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of HLI stock traded up $1.35 on Wednesday, reaching $196.62. The company had a trading volume of 22,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 360,071. The business's 50-day moving average is $180.39 and its 200 day moving average is $171.84. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $137.99 and a one year high of $198.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79 and a beta of 0.83.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $86,510.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total transaction of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,508 shares of company stock valued at $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HLI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.