Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Has $90.58 Million Holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 28.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 520,002 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 113,696 shares during the quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $90,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd 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. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on HLI shares. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

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

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 8.54 EPS for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 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.