Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (HLI) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $160.44.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI opened at $148.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $133.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.75. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $112.83 and a twelve month high of $195.06.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.22. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 19.94%. The company had revenue of $692.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $625.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 7.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 46.98%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total value of $140,150.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,150. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 22.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 400.0% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 186.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 410 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 1972, the firm provides financial advice and related services to corporations, financial sponsors, governments and other organizations.

The company’s main businesses include corporate finance, financial restructuring and financial and valuation advisory. Its services include advising on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, restructuring transactions, and business and asset valuations.

Houlihan Lokey serves clients across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific through an international office network.