Analysts Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) PT at $180.50

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $180.50.

A number of brokerages recently commented on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE HLI opened at $145.32 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey has a fifty-two week low of $130.72 and a fifty-two week high of $211.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.00. The stock has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $635.64 million for 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%. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 7.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,378.90. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.4% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.