Pier Capital LLC Purchases 16,894 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Pier Capital LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 62.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,894 shares during the quarter. Pier Capital LLC owned 0.06% of Houlihan Lokey worth $7,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $153.39 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.41 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 23.15%. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. 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 report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.29.

More Houlihan Lokey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 (16.7% increase), with an ex?dividend/record timetable in early June — this boosts yield (~1.8%) and returns cash to shareholders, supporting investor demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal?year revenue grew to $2.62B from $2.39B a year earlier, showing annual top?line expansion despite a weaker quarter. Business Wire: Fiscal Year and Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target from $177 to $172 but kept an “outperform” rating — a modest downgrade that still implies upside vs. the current share level. Benzinga: KBW Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets published transcripts, metric breakdowns and valuation pieces assessing the quarter and HLI’s multiple; these provide color but no material guidance change so far. Examples: earnings call transcript and valuation writeups. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Core near?term catalyst: Q4 results missed estimates — EPS of $1.63 vs. consensus ~ $1.79–$1.84 and revenue of ~$636M vs. est. ~$679M. Revenue fell ~4.6% year?over?year and quarterly profitability softened, which is the primary reason for downward estimate revisions and investor caution. Zacks: HLI Misses Q4 Estimates

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.