Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $207.1429.

Several research firms recently weighed in on HLI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $232.00 to $226.00 and set a “moderate buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 6,811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.75, for a total value of $1,380,930.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI opened at $179.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $137.99 and a 52 week high of $211.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.39.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

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.