Analysts Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Price Target at $166.38

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $166.3750.

HLI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $129.59 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $134.42 and its 200 day moving average is $145.30. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $112.83 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The stock has a market cap of $8.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.29). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The company had revenue of $511.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $602.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.06%.

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.