Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Price

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $193.00 to $187.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 35.66% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.12.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 2.6%

Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $3.53 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $137.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,606,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 657,024. The business has a fifty day moving average of $144.05 and a 200 day moving average of $156.83. The stock has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $131.30 and a 1 year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The company had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 5,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $917,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,694 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 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.