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 shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 20.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (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.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLI. Bogart Wealth LLC raised 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% during 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. acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 744.2% during 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 and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:HLI traded down $0.42 on Friday, reaching $189.07. The stock had a trading volume of 361,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 413,469. The company has a 50-day moving average of $184.67 and a 200 day moving average of $173.47. The stock has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83 and a beta of 0.86. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $198.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

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