Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Key Points

• Vanguard trimmed its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% in Q4, selling 48,446 shares and leaving it with 5,256,736 shares (7.50% ownership) valued at about $915.7 million.
• Institutional ownership is high at 78.07%, with several large funds (Bank of America, Capital Research, Raymond James, Sei, Thrivent) recently boosting positions, while insiders have also sold stock (director sold 5,000 shares; general counsel sold 500), leaving insiders with 22.83% ownership.
• Analysts have trimmed price targets recently but the consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $197.71, compared with the stock trading around $153.28 and a 52‑week range of $134.41–$211.78.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,256,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 48,446 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.50% of Houlihan Lokey worth $915,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $187,506,000 after acquiring an additional 41,470 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 19.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 956,441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $196,376,000 after acquiring an additional 157,605 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 874,078 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $157,291,000 after buying an additional 82,002 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 717,952 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $147,410,000 after buying an additional 27,328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $146,495,000 after buying an additional 307,214 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HLI. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $197.71.

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $153.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.99. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.41 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78. The company's 50-day moving average is $151.46 and its 200 day moving average is $169.87.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The business's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey 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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