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

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $209.1667.

Several research firms have weighed in on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $216.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $196.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.17, for a total transaction of $87,085.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 362.1% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,703,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $296,706,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334,769 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $208,934,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,973 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth $230,335,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth $126,723,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% during the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 546,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $98,314,000 after buying an additional 361,085 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $163.76 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $175.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.16 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.64 EPS. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.