Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE reduced its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. by 20.4% in the first quarter, selling 6,730 shares and retaining 26,321 shares valued at approximately $4.25 million.
• Insider selling activity has been notable, with Chairman Irwin Gold and Chairman Scott L. Beiser selling shares worth over $2.3 million in total during recent transactions.
• Houlihan Lokey reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.14, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.69, and showing a 17.8% year-over-year revenue growth.

US Bancorp DE reduced its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 20.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,730 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $4,251,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% in the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Motco bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded 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 report on Monday, July 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.40.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $914,050.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock valued at $2,431,670. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of HLI stock traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $189.07. 361,984 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 406,082. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $198.78. The company's 50-day moving average price is $184.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.44. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The company had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $573.07 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.40%.

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.