Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Short Interest Update

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 692,800 shares, an increase of 19.3% from the November 30th total of 580,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 326,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of HLI stock traded down $1.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $174.29. 176,162 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 324,758. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $112.17 and a 52-week high of $192.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.64 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $179.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.76.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.63%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth about $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth about $76,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 69.1% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Houlihan Lokey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $174.20.

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.

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