Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 520.2% during the first quarter, now owning a total of 7,908 shares valued at approximately $1.277 million.
• In recent trading, shares of Houlihan Lokey saw a slight decline, trading down 0.5% to $192.16, following a twelve-month range between a low of $137.99 and a high of $198.78.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend payout of $0.60, to be distributed on September 15th, representing a 1.2% dividend yield based on its annualized dividend of $2.40.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 520.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,908 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,633 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $1,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying 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 lifted its stake 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated 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 ninety days, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock valued at $2,431,670. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on HLI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price target (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. 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 increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE HLI traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $189.55. The stock had a trading volume of 104,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,294. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $184.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.44. The company has a market capitalization of $13.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.91 and a beta of 0.86. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The business had revenue of $605.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $573.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio 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.