Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Stake Boosted by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 94.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,508 shares during the quarter. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.49, for a total transaction of $30,498.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,001 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,582.49. This represents a 2.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,600 shares of company stock worth $249,860 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLI has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $184.05 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.64 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $166.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.50. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.29 and a fifty-two week high of $190.66.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The firm had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 46.63%.

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.