MQS Management LLC Buys Shares of 1,739 Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,739 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter worth about $619,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 9.7% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,987 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $805,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.1% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,895,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 145.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,520 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:HLI traded up $3.03 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $197.53. The stock had a trading volume of 282,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 360,914. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $137.99 and a one year high of $198.76. The company has a market capitalization of $13.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $178.82 and a 200 day moving average of $171.21.

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

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the company's 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value 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 valued at $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.