Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $159.43

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.38.

HLI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price objective on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $130.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.00. Houlihan Lokey has a one year low of $112.83 and a one year high of $204.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $130.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.52.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.29). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The business had revenue of $511.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $602.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 47.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $140,150. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 22.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% in the first quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,016 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank that provides financial advisory services to corporations, institutions, governments and other organizations. The firm focuses on complex strategic, financial and restructuring matters and is known for its independent advisory model.

Its principal businesses include corporate finance, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. Services include mergers and acquisitions advice, capital-raising and other strategic transactions, restructuring and liability management, fairness opinions, solvency analysis, financial reporting valuations, and transaction opinions.

Founded in 1972, Houlihan Lokey serves clients through offices across North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.