Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.22 EPS

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.22, FiscalAI reports. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The business had revenue of $692.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $625.88 million.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 3.3%

Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $4.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $136.77. 1,178,362 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 729,033. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.59. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $112.83 and a 52 week high of $202.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $140,150. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $148.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.38.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment banking and financial advisory firm that provides services to corporations, institutions, financial sponsors and governments. The company advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, financial restructuring and other strategic and corporate finance matters.

Its business also includes valuation and financial opinions, including fairness opinions, solvency opinions and other transaction-related analyses. Houlihan Lokey serves clients across a range of industries, with particular expertise in areas such as technology, media and telecommunications; financial services; healthcare; industrials; consumer products and services; and energy and natural resources.

Founded in 1972 by Roger Houlihan and O.