Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Short Interest Update

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 859,400 shares, a decline of 5.2% from the August 15th total of 906,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 293,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $30,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,035,656.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 9,902 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.25, for a total transaction of $1,339,245.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,656.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,619 shares of company stock worth $2,818,759. Corporate insiders own 25.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,345,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $383,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $154.64 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $149.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.02. Houlihan Lokey has a one year low of $94.67 and a one year high of $160.62. The firm has a market cap of $10.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63 and a beta of 0.67.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 15.30%. The firm had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $508.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 55.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $148.00 to $146.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $149.60.

Houlihan Lokey Company 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.