Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stock Position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 19.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,368 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,862 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $3,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 available through the SEC website. In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 9,902 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.25, for a total transaction of $1,339,245.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,419 shares of company stock worth $2,788,303 in the last 90 days. 25.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $131.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $154.00 price target (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $150.25.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 2.0 %

HLI traded down $3.10 on Friday, reaching $148.90. 288,173 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 325,159. The company has a market cap of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.23 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.50. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $94.67 and a one year high of $157.58.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22. The firm had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.70 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is currently 55.47%.

Houlihan Lokey 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.