Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Shares Sold by Van Berkom & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Van Berkom & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. by 0.9%, now holding 401,840 shares, representing approximately 0.57% of the company worth $64,897,000.
• Houlihan Lokey recently declared a quarterly dividend increase from $0.57 to $0.60 per share, with a current annualized dividend of $2.40 and a yield of 1.22%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Houlihan Lokey, with price targets raised to as high as $232.00 by various firms.

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. cut its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 401,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,782 shares during the quarter. Houlihan Lokey comprises about 2.1% of Van Berkom & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.57% of Houlihan Lokey worth $64,897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 744.2% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 363 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 550 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $105,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of HLI stock traded up $1.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $193.14. 255,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 405,224. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $181.67 and a 200 day moving average of $172.51. The firm has a market cap of $13.48 billion, a PE ratio of 33.17 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $198.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The firm had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The company's revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on HLI. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total value of $914,050.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey 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.