Norges Bank Makes New $115.48 Million Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 662,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $115,478,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 14.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 6,253 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 29,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 9,891 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $18,964,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,143,000 after buying an additional 22,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,033,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value 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 trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group set a $160.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey 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 note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE:HLI opened at $140.95 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $134.41 and a 52 week high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $149.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.12.

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

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

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

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.