Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $44.49 Million Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 1,946.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 275,458 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 262,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.39% of Houlihan Lokey worth $44,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,122,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $4.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $171.28. 272,269 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 350,730. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.95 billion, a PE ratio of 32.69 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.14 and a 1-year high of $192.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $167.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.76.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is 41.24%.

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.