Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 2,864 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 24.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $2,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,104,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $654,300,000 after acquiring an additional 29,843 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 27.1% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 30,656 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,927,000 after acquiring an additional 6,535 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $1,844,000. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter worth $495,000. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $619,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HLI has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 price objective (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,656.28. This trade represents a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,400 shares of company stock worth $219,362 in the last quarter. 23.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $185.01 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.57. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.29 and a 52 week high of $190.66. The company has a market capitalization of $12.86 billion, a PE ratio of 37.83 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The firm had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.23%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

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.