Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $157.00.

HLI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 price target (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 ninety days, insiders sold 1,600 shares of company stock worth $249,860. Insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,345,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 21,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,443,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of HLI opened at $184.15 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $166.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $149.11. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $102.29 and a twelve month high of $190.66. The stock has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.11 EPS. Analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.63%.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.