Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group set a $160.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $137.84 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $149.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $161.72. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $133.83 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,305,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,089,260,000 after acquiring an additional 13,750 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $251,551,000 after acquiring an additional 48,126 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,133,000 after acquiring an additional 84,757 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $208,934,000 after acquiring an additional 1,156,973 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $187,506,000 after acquiring an additional 41,470 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm’s core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.