Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $144.76 and traded as high as $146.94. Houlihan Lokey shares last traded at $146.3670, with a volume of 1,093,641 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research raised Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $148.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $160.44.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 4.6%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.40. The firm has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.90.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.22. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.78% and a return on equity of 19.94%. The company had revenue of $692.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $625.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 46.98%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $140,150. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $251,551,000 after purchasing an additional 48,126 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 616,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,540,000 after buying an additional 81,182 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 16.4% during the third quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 508,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,190,000 after buying an additional 71,660 shares during the period. Fenimore Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 52.9% in the third quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 256,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,439,000 after acquiring an additional 88,862 shares during the period. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $28,750,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment banking and financial advisory firm that provides services to corporations, institutions, financial sponsors and governments. The company advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, financial restructuring and other strategic and corporate finance matters.

Its business also includes valuation and financial opinions, including fairness opinions, solvency opinions and other transaction-related analyses. Houlihan Lokey serves clients across a range of industries, with particular expertise in areas such as technology, media and telecommunications; financial services; healthcare; industrials; consumer products and services; and energy and natural resources.

Founded in 1972 by Roger Houlihan and O.