Hilton Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Hilton Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) by 11.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,721 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,364 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $2,800,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $1,293,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 21,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,443,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after buying 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

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,496.08. The trade was a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,400 shares of company stock valued at $219,362 over the last three months. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI stock opened at $185.01 on Wednesday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.29 and a 12 month high of $190.66. The company has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.83 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $168.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.57.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued 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 assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.00.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.