Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Shares Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. by 54.7% during the first quarter, now holding 11,616 shares worth approximately $1.88 million.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic, with multiple firms raising their target prices for Houlihan Lokey, with a consensus price target of $206.40 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Houlihan Lokey reported a 17.8% year-over-year increase in revenue, with Q2 EPS beating estimates at $2.14.

Entropy Technologies LP increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 54.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,616 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,109 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 59.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 990 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 25.8% in the first quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,112 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 45.9% during the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 42,488 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,862,000 after buying an additional 13,374 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter worth about $321,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 33.2% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 9,606 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,551,000 after buying an additional 2,394 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 target price (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total value of $914,050.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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. Insiders have sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670 over the last three months. Insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $189.07 on Monday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $184.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.29. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.99 and a fifty-two week high of $198.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.83 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend 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.

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