First Hawaiian Bank Makes New Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• First Hawaiian Bank has acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc., purchasing 9,250 shares valued at approximately $1.49 million during the first quarter.
• Research analysts have given Houlihan Lokey an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $210.60, and some upgraded their target from $192.00 to $213.00.
• Houlihan Lokey announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share with a payout ratio of 40.40%, set to be paid on September 15th.

First Hawaiian Bank bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,494,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter worth $9,549,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,309,000 after acquiring an additional 2,703 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 141.9% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 6,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 3,587 shares in the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 180,634 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,172,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total value of $98,110.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,500 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,160 in the last three months. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE HLI traded up $4.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $208.42. 53,108 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 400,955. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.99 and a fifty-two week high of $208.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.65 billion, a PE ratio of 35.08 and a beta of 0.86. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $195.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.99.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.