Brokerages Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) PT at $191.29

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $191.2857.

HLI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $137.84 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $133.83 and a 1 year high of $211.78.

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

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 45.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $941,378.90. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.