StockNews.com Downgrades Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) to Hold

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

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

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.1 %

HLI traded up $1.98 on Wednesday, reaching $186.99. The stock had a trading volume of 328,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 321,555. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $168.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.82. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $102.29 and a 12-month high of $190.66. The company has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,400 shares of company stock worth $219,362 over the last quarter. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.