Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $153.00.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 price target (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective for the company.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $159.57 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.82 and a beta of 0.67. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $94.67 and a twelve month high of $162.84. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $151.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.26.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 15.30%. The company had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $508.70 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 9,902 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.25, for a total transaction of $1,339,245.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,619 shares of company stock worth $2,818,759. 25.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.5% in the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 18,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,345,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.4% in the second quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.3% during the second quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is 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.