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

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $207.7143.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HLI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut Houlihan Lokey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $230.00 to $228.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other 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 transaction of $87,085.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,305,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,089,260,000 after purchasing an additional 13,750 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,225,966 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $220,613,000 after purchasing an additional 36,144 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $230,335,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,506,000 after acquiring an additional 41,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,041,590 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,462,000 after acquiring an additional 21,132 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE HLI opened at $184.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.79 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $178.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.98.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.62% and a return on equity of 24.17%. The business had revenue of $659.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.71%.

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.