Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price target on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citizens Jmp raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.44.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 6.1%

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $146.37 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.76. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $112.83 and a 52-week high of $195.06.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 15.78%. The company had revenue of $692.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $625.88 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 7.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is presently 46.98%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,150. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 400.0% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 91.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment banking and financial advisory firm that provides services to corporations, institutions, financial sponsors and governments. The company advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, financial restructuring and other strategic and corporate finance matters.

Its business also includes valuation and financial opinions, including fairness opinions, solvency opinions and other transaction-related analyses. Houlihan Lokey serves clients across a range of industries, with particular expertise in areas such as technology, media and telecommunications; financial services; healthcare; industrials; consumer products and services; and energy and natural resources.

Founded in 1972 by Roger Houlihan and O.