Short Interest in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Expands By 28.9%

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the target of a significant 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. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 400,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $179.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $192.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 0.5 %

HLI traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $162.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 354,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,480. The firm has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.93 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $173.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.10. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $121.81 and a 52-week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 110.9% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $783,000 after acquiring an additional 2,606 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 59.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 71,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,262,000 after purchasing an additional 26,522 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,277,000 after purchasing an additional 2,864 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 399,388 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $63,111,000 after purchasing an additional 9,768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $92,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.