GW&K Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 356,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,614 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $62,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.29.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $141.22 on Wednesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.41 and a 1 year high of $211.78. The stock has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $149.71 and a 200 day moving average of $162.40.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.02%.

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.