Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $175.54 and last traded at $174.91, with a volume of 15938 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $172.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLI has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 price target (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.8 %

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.91 billion, a PE ratio of 35.03 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.11 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total transaction of $1,263,269.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total transaction of $1,263,269.13. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,917 shares of company stock valued at $1,513,129. 23.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 38.4% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,627 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 1,837 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 12,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $834,000. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 36.5% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 19,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,500,000 after acquiring an additional 5,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,844,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.