Horizon Investments LLC Has $197,000 Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC cut its Houlihan Lokey stake by 96% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 1,133 shares valued at about $197,000.
• Houlihan Lokey reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.63 missing estimates and revenue of $635.64 million also falling short of expectations; revenue declined 4.6% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 per share from $0.60, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $191.29.

Horizon Investments LLC lowered its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 96.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,133 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 27,453 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $146,495,000 after buying an additional 307,214 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 153.8% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 274,387 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $49,376,000 after purchasing an additional 166,285 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 19.7% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 956,441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $196,376,000 after purchasing an additional 157,605 shares during the period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 411.1% during the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 170,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,031,000 after purchasing an additional 137,237 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 25.4% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 589,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $120,953,000 after purchasing an additional 119,440 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $191.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.4%

HLI opened at $152.88 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $134.41 and a 1-year high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $150.56 and a 200-day moving average of $168.85.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $679.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.59%.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm's core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.

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