Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded at Citizens Jmp

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Citizens Jmp from a “market perform” rating to a “market outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $175.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price target suggests a potential upside of 39.16% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 target price on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America started coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.38.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:HLI opened at $125.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.59. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $112.83 and a twelve month high of $204.18.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.29). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The company had revenue of $511.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $602.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $140,150. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 22.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Diversified Management Inc. bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth about $2,294,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 53.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 4,324 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $253,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 131.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 514.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 128,463 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,230,000 after purchasing an additional 107,566 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank that provides financial advisory services to corporations, institutions, governments and other organizations. The firm focuses on complex strategic, financial and restructuring matters and is known for its independent advisory model.

Its principal businesses include corporate finance, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. Services include mergers and acquisitions advice, capital-raising and other strategic transactions, restructuring and liability management, fairness opinions, solvency analysis, financial reporting valuations, and transaction opinions.

Founded in 1972, Houlihan Lokey serves clients through offices across North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.