Azora Capital LP Makes New $13.23 Million Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Azora Capital LP bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 83,722 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,230,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 27.1% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,927,000 after buying an additional 6,535 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at about $1,844,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $619,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter worth about $687,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 399,388 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,111,000 after purchasing an additional 9,768 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,496.08. The trade was a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,400 shares of company stock valued at $219,362. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $189.09 on Monday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $105.34 and a 12 month high of $192.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $173.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.47. The company has a market cap of $13.14 billion, a PE ratio of 38.67 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The business had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on HLI. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey 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.