Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 139,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,249 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.20% of Houlihan Lokey worth $28,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 136.9% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 268.0% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Houlihan Lokey

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarter beat consensus — Houlihan Lokey reported stronger-than-expected results for the quarter reported Jan. 28 (EPS $1.94 vs. $1.85 est; revenue $717.1M vs. $696.7M; revenue +13% y/y). That beat supports valuation and analyst estimate updates. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate finance momentum and European expansion highlighted by management as drivers of the quarter, indicating growth in fee-based advisory across regions. This reinforces the beat and medium-term revenue upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target to $211 with an “outperform” rating, signaling continued analyst conviction and ~25% upside vs. current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60/share (annualized yield ~1.4%), which supports total-return investors and underscores cash generation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its target from $218 to $214 but kept an “outperform” rating — a modest technical revision rather than a negative rerating. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed transcripts and analyst notes (Seeking Alpha, Zacks) provide granular disclosure on segment performance and metrics; useful for modeling but not a discrete catalyst. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beats, the stock is down today — likely profit-taking after recent run-up (12‑month high ~$211.78) and some mixed analyst actions. Elevated intraday volume suggests short-term selling pressure.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of HLI opened at $168.30 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $179.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1-year low of $137.99 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 had revenue of $717.07 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $696.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.17.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.