Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives $185.00 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $192.20.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of HLI opened at $182.75 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.19. The company has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40 and a beta of 0.83. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $133.48 and a 52-week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The company had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $628.25 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total transaction of $1,431,109.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Motco purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.