Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New $702,000 Investment in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the third 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. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HLI shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $197.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’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 sale, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $162.48 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $153.13 and its 200 day moving average is $171.95. The stock has a market cap of $11.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.00. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $134.41 and a twelve month high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 16.91%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.87%.

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.