Analysts Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Target Price at $206.40

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $210.60.

HLI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total transaction of $914,050.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $7,998,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,500 shares of company stock worth $9,010,160. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 772,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $134,195,000 after buying an additional 73,566 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,038,000 after acquiring an additional 2,611 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $22,191,000. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $546,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $198.65 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $192.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.49. Houlihan Lokey has a fifty-two week low of $137.99 and a fifty-two week high of $201.63. The company has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a PE ratio of 33.44 and a beta of 0.86.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The firm had revenue of $605.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.40%.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.