Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Given New $160.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its price objective decreased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $172.00 to $160.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on HLI. UBS Group increased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $193.00 to $187.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.50.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $1.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $135.40. 1,067,740 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 786,445. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $131.30 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $143.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.41.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.02%.

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $251,551,000 after acquiring an additional 48,126 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,133,000 after purchasing an additional 84,757 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% in 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. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $187,506,000 after purchasing an additional 41,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 962,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $167,617,000 after purchasing an additional 5,822 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage on Houlihan Lokey (HLI) with a Buy rating and a $164 price target, suggesting upside from the current share price. Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded HLI from Underperform to Peer Perform, which removes a bearish call on the stock and may ease downside sentiment. Wolfe Research Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods still rates Houlihan Lokey Outperform and sees a target of $160, indicating further upside despite trimming its prior target. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating on HLI and lowered its price target only modestly to $187, which still points to substantial upside from current levels. Morgan Stanley price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Houlihan Lokey announced it will release fiscal 2027 first-quarter results on July 29 and hold a conference call the same day; this is a routine event, but it sets up a near-term catalyst. Q1 FY2027 earnings release date
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also said it bolstered its equity capital solutions capabilities with a senior hire, which may help the business but is not an immediate stock-moving event. Senior hire announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets on HLI, including KBW and Morgan Stanley, which can weigh on sentiment even though both firms remain constructive on the shares. Price target reductions

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.