Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $192.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $201.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% during 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 in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in 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 during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $162.79 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.07 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average is $173.44 and its 200 day moving average is $172.08. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $121.81 and a 1 year 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 net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

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.