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

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $204.5714.

HLI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $243.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:HLI opened at $138.94 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $9.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $134.41 and a twelve month high of $211.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $161.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.94.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 36.87%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.