Brokerages Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) PT at $209.17

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $209.1667.

Several research firms have issued reports on HLI. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $210.00 price target for the company.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,584 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,008,000 after acquiring an additional 6,253 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 50.0% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 29,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 9,891 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the first quarter valued at about $18,964,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,143,000 after purchasing an additional 22,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,457 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $982,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI opened at $163.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average is $179.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.29. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $717.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $696.72 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The company’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 36.87%.

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.