Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target Raised to $172.00

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its target price raised by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $171.00 to $172.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com cut Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $174.20.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of HLI opened at $173.97 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey has a 12 month low of $112.17 and a 12 month high of $192.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $178.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.21. The stock has a market cap of $12.09 billion, a PE ratio of 35.58 and a beta of 0.67.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% during the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 8,103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 857 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,724,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 21,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,443,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.