New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 169.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 30,856 shares valued at about $5.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with 78.07% of Houlihan Lokey’s stock held by hedge funds and other institutional investors, though some insiders recently sold shares.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 per share from $0.60, even as its latest earnings report missed analyst expectations on both EPS and revenue.

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 169.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,856 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,388 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $5,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $4,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $146,495,000 after acquiring an additional 307,214 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 174,695 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,868,000 after acquiring an additional 14,483 shares during the last quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 45.2% during the third quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda now owns 72,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,783,000 after acquiring an additional 22,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 639.9% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 44,578 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,153,000 after acquiring an additional 38,553 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE:HLI opened at $151.71 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $149.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.46. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $134.41 and a 1-year high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $10.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $679.22 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 38.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $191.29.

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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