Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Raises Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. by 1,168% during Q1, owning 239,522 shares valued at approximately $38.68 million.
• Houlihan Lokey reported a quarterly EPS of $2.14, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue reaching $605.35 million, up 17.8% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60, yielding 1.2%, with a payout ratio of 40.40%, to be paid on September 15th.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 1,168.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 220,632 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.34% of Houlihan Lokey worth $38,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HLI. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,597 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,038,000 after acquiring an additional 2,611 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $546,000. Centiva Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 2,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 20,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,600,000 after acquiring an additional 2,183 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and raised their price objective 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 Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $210.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total value of $98,110.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total transaction of $7,998,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,500 shares of company stock worth $9,010,160. 22.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE HLI traded up $3.98 on Wednesday, reaching $200.70. 251,622 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 403,068. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.99 and a 12 month high of $201.63. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $193.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $175.64. The company has a market cap of $14.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.79 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.07 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.40%.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.