Analysts Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Price Target at $157.00

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $157.00.

A number of analysts have commented on HLI shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of HLI stock opened at $184.15 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $102.29 and a 1-year high of $190.66. The stock has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $166.18 and a 200-day moving average of $149.11.

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

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 46.63%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,656.28. This trade represents a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,600 shares of company stock valued at $249,860 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 24,074.0% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 501,610 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,647,000 after buying an additional 499,535 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 666.8% in the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 283,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,831,000 after buying an additional 246,705 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 601,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $94,974,000 after acquiring an additional 149,114 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 693,109 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $109,525,000 after acquiring an additional 132,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $10,141,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.