Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target Cut to $146.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its target price reduced by Morgan Stanley from $148.00 to $146.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on HLI. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an underweight rating and a $149.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $149.60.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:HLI opened at $160.20 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a PE ratio of 38.98 and a beta of 0.67. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $94.67 and a 52-week high of $160.89. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.17.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The company had revenue of $514.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $508.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 55.47%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.