Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 764,000 shares, an increase of 28.9% from the February 13th total of 592,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 400,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.5 %

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $162.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.93 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $173.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.14. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $121.81 and a 52 week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $180.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $201.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $192.00.

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.