Azora Capital LP Invests $13.23 Million in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 83,722 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,230,000. Azora Capital LP owned 0.12% of Houlihan Lokey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% in the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 8,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 21,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,443,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% during the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLI has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $189.09 on Monday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a one year low of $105.34 and a one year high of $192.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.67 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $173.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.47.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The business had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,400 shares of company stock valued at $219,362. Insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

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.