Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target to $218.00

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $228.00 to $218.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.98% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on HLI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research cut Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $193.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.29.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

NYSE HLI traded up $0.07 on Thursday, reaching $183.22. The stock had a trading volume of 26,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 408,129. The company has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $178.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $188.94. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $137.99 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $659.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.08 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.17% and a net margin of 16.62%.The company’s revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $230,335,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $126,723,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% during the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 546,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $98,314,000 after acquiring an additional 361,085 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,495,000 after acquiring an additional 307,214 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Group LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,115,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.