Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI Shares Acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 126.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,362 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $5,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $140.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.04. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.72 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.50.

Houlihan Lokey 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.