Trexquant Investment LP Acquires Shares of 48,976 Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has gained a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, acquiring 48,976 shares valued at approximately $7.91 million during the 1st quarter, increasing its ownership to 0.07% of the company.
• Houlihan Lokey recently reported earnings of $2.14 EPS for the quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates, with revenues reaching $605.35 million.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Houlihan Lokey, with the consensus target now at $206.40, reflecting a generally positive outlook despite some rating fluctuations.

Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 48,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,910,000. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.07% of Houlihan Lokey at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HLI. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 39,574.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 686,375 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,108,500,000 after purchasing an additional 684,645 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $81,420,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $46,236,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1,946.8% in the 1st quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 275,458 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,486,000 after purchasing an additional 262,000 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,919,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.40.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI traded up $4.55 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $195.97. 131,153 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,022. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $192.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.11. The company has a market cap of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 32.99 and a beta of 0.86. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.99 and a 12 month high of $201.63.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $573.07 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total value of $98,110.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total value of $914,050.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,500 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,160 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.