1,990 Shares in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Acquired by National Bank of Canada FI

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI has acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc., purchasing 1,990 shares valued at approximately $321,000 during the first quarter.
• Equities analysts have shown confidence in Houlihan Lokey, with upgrades in ratings from firms like Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, and Wells Fargo & Company, indicating a positive outlook for the company's stock price.
• Houlihan Lokey recently reported earnings of $2.14 per share for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, with year-over-year revenue growth of 17.8%.

National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,990 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $321,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Motco bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total transaction of $914,050.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of HLI stock traded down $0.70 on Thursday, reaching $192.10. The company had a trading volume of 307,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 415,914. The stock has a market cap of $13.51 billion, a PE ratio of 32.34 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $187.81 and a 200-day moving average of $174.07. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 EPS 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 return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%.Houlihan Lokey's revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is 40.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reissued 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. Wall Street Zen cut Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on 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 raised Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and boosted 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.40.

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.