Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $160.44 According to Analysts

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $160.44.

HLI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $147.23 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.90. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $112.83 and a 1-year high of $195.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.18.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.94% and a net margin of 15.78%. The firm had revenue of $692.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $625.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 46.98%.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was 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 owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $140,150. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 400.0% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 91.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.