Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Invests $702,000 in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. $HLI

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $230,335,000. ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,495,000 after acquiring an additional 307,214 shares in the last quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $589,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 174,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,868,000 after acquiring an additional 14,483 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $162.48 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $153.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $171.95. 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 earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.