Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Cuts Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target to $218.00

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its price target trimmed by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $228.00 to $218.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HLI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $193.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $206.29.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $181.90 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The company has a market cap of $12.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.34 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $177.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.17% and a net margin of 16.62%.The firm had revenue of $659.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $639.08 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued 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 was Monday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 38.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total value of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 179.2% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 201 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.