Entropy Technologies LP Takes $3.92 Million Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 27,331 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,925,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HLI. Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $917,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $140.17 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.72 and a 12 month high of $211.78. The company has a market capitalization of $9.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $140.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.91 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 45.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HLI. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $193.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.50.

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.