BMO Capital Markets Issues Positive Forecast for Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Price

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its target price boosted by BMO Capital Markets from $209.00 to $211.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on HLI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $228.00 to $218.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $193.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $208.67.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI opened at $168.85 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $179.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $717.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $696.72 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 16.91%.Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth $31,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Houlihan Lokey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 / Q4 results topped expectations — HLI reported $1.94 EPS vs. $1.85 consensus and revenue of $717.1M (vs. $696.7M est.), with revenue up ~13% YoY and strong margins/ROE. This underscores continued fee and deal momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate finance momentum and European expansion highlighted — management commentary and coverage note strengthening activity in corporate finance and growth in Europe, which supports future revenue diversity. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — HLI announced a quarterly dividend of $0.60/share (annualized yield ~1.4%), providing an income component for shareholders (record March 2, payable March 15).
• Positive Sentiment: BMO raised its price target to $211 (maintaining an outperform rating), signaling continued analyst confidence in the stock’s upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and analyst write-ups are available for deeper read — useful for parsing guidance, segment trends and deal pipeline but not new catalysts by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst/press coverage (Zacks) highlights the beat and key metrics for those modeling forward EPS and revenue. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target slightly from $218 to $214 (still an outperform rating), a signal of more conservative near-term expectations that may have tempered upside. Read More.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.