Novem Group Buys 1,433 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Novem Group grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 35.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,432 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,433 shares during the quarter. Novem Group's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 12,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,205,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE HLI traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $185.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 502,816 shares, compared to its average volume of 357,811. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $175.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.81 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $134.19 and a one year high of $192.10.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HLI. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 target price (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $192.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total transaction of $914,050.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670 in the last three months. 23.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.