Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 24,893 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC sold 24,893 shares of Houlihan Lokey, cutting its stake by 7.1% to 325,374 shares valued at $66.81 million (about 0.46% ownership) in the latest 13F filing.
• A number of institutions made sizable moves: Mayflower Financial Advisors initiated a new stake worth $230.3 million and Thrivent Financial increased its holdings by 75.6% to 713,494 shares, leaving institutional investors with 78.07% of the stock while insiders hold 22.83%.
• Houlihan Lokey reported an earnings beat (EPS $1.94 vs. $1.85) with revenue up 13%, declared a $0.60 quarterly dividend (1.6% yield, ex-dividend Mar 2), but the stock opened down 3.8% at $151.32; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $209.17.

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 325,374 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 24,893 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.46% of Houlihan Lokey worth $66,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $230,335,000. ING Groep NV bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $4,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $146,495,000 after buying an additional 307,214 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $589,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 63.2% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 33,430 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,016,000 after buying an additional 12,944 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on HLI. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $209.17.

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. The trade was a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 3.8%

HLI stock opened at $151.32 on Monday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $173.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $183.91. The firm has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.99 and a 12 month high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm's core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.

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