Oak Thistle LLC Invests $1.86 Million in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position of 10,678 shares in Houlihan Lokey during Q4, valued at approximately $1.86 million.
• Several brokerages have trimmed price targets recently, but the stock's consensus rating remains a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $200.86.
• Houlihan Lokey beat quarterly EPS expectations ($1.94 vs. $1.85), reported revenue up 13% year-over-year, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.60 (annualized yield 1.6%).

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,860,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised 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 period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HLI. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $200.86.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $147.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.70 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.58. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $134.41 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

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

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.87%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. This trade represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

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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