Nordea Investment Management AB Has $9.28 Million Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Nordea Investment Management cut its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 25.4% in Q4, selling 18,129 shares and ending the period with 53,126 shares worth about $9.28 million (0.08% of the company).
• Company insiders have been selling: Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares for roughly $854,300 and General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares, leaving insiders with about 22.83% ownership.
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.57; HLI last opened near $142, has a 52-week range of $134.41–$211.78, a market cap of ~$9.91B, and recent quarterly EPS of $1.94 beating estimates.

Nordea Investment Management AB reduced its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 25.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,126 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,129 shares during the quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB owned 0.08% of Houlihan Lokey worth $9,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 4,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $939,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 467 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,026 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered Houlihan Lokey from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.57.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $142.04 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.41 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.90. The company has a market capitalization of $9.91 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 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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