Bridges Investment Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $752,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 8,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,345,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $185.74 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.98 and a beta of 0.65. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.92 and a 52-week high of $189.17. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $163.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.61.

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

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total transaction of $1,263,269.13. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 9,917 shares of company stock valued at $1,513,129 over the last three months. 23.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.00.

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.