Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Now Covered by Analysts at Bank of America

Bank of America began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) in a note issued to investors on Friday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Bank of America‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 20.01% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on HLI. Weiss Ratings downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $183.67.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $136.66 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey has a one year low of $131.30 and a one year high of $211.78. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $143.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $156.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.The business had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at $941,378.90. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $251,551,000 after acquiring an additional 48,126 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,133,000 after purchasing an additional 84,757 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $208,934,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,973 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,506,000 after purchasing an additional 41,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 962,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $167,617,000 after purchasing an additional 5,822 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from underperform to peer perform, suggesting the stock is no longer viewed as a clear laggard. Houlihan Lokey was upgraded by Wolfe Research from underperform to peer perform
• Positive Sentiment: Houlihan Lokey said it hired a senior executive to strengthen its Equity Capital Solutions business, a move that could support growth in a key advisory area. Houlihan Lokey Bolsters Equity Capital Solutions Capabilities With Senior Hire
• Neutral Sentiment: Houlihan Lokey announced it will release fiscal 2027 first-quarter results on July 29, which sets up the next major catalyst but does not change fundamentals by itself. Houlihan Lokey Announces Release Date for First Quarter Results for Fiscal Year 2027
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $187 from $193, but kept an overweight rating, indicating continued confidence despite a more conservative valuation view. Houlihan Lokey had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from 193 to 187
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also cut its target to $160 from $172 while reiterating an outperform rating, implying analysts still see upside even after trimming expectations. Houlihan Lokey had its price target lowered by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from 172 to 160

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm’s core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.