Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 2,864 Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 24.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,409 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $2,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HLI. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 24,074.0% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 501,610 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $67,647,000 after acquiring an additional 499,535 shares in the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 666.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 283,702 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,831,000 after purchasing an additional 246,705 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $10,141,000. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% in the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,273,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $441,507,000 after purchasing an additional 62,314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 42.0% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 183,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,072,000 after buying an additional 54,386 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,656.28. This represents a 2.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,400 shares of company stock worth $219,362. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $149.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $154.00 price objective (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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, StockNews.com raised Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 0.6 %

HLI stock traded up $1.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $186.13. 161,282 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 320,811. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.29 and a twelve month high of $190.66. The company has a market capitalization of $12.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.83 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $168.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $150.57.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.63%.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.