KBC Group NV Trims Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

KBC Group NV lessened its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 88.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,295 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 17,608 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $143,559,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 39,574.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 686,375 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,108,500,000 after purchasing an additional 684,645 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at $114,047,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 122.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,041,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $180,815,000 after purchasing an additional 573,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at $81,420,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on HLI. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $192.20.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of HLI traded down $1.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $184.37. 341,665 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 358,300. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a PE ratio of 31.68 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.58 and a fifty-two week high of $192.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.50.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $666.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 16.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

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.