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

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $204.5714.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $243.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 27,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,781,004.52. This represents a 15.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth approximately $230,335,000. ING Groep NV bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,640,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 75.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 713,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,495,000 after purchasing an additional 307,214 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $589,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 174,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,868,000 after buying an additional 14,483 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of HLI opened at $138.94 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.23. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $134.41 and a 1-year high of $211.78. The company has a market cap of $9.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.87%.

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.