Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Hits New 52-Week High at $162.18

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $162.18 and last traded at $162.16, with a volume of 5340 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $160.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HLI shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $148.00 to $146.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 price target (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $149.60.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $150.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.59. The company has a market capitalization of $11.07 billion, a PE ratio of 39.00 and a beta of 0.67.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.70 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,035,656.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,656.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 19,619 shares of company stock valued at $2,818,759. Insiders own 25.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth $1,945,000. Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $3,183,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 19.4% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,556 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,177,000 after purchasing an additional 3,824 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 10.7% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,614 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 14,599 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,969,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.