Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded at Citizens Jmp

Citizens Jmp upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. Citizens Jmp currently has $175.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on HLI. US Capital Advisors set a $187.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Friday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $171.00 to $148.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.38.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of HLI stock opened at $130.00 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $130.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.52. The firm has a market cap of $8.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.00. Houlihan Lokey has a 12 month low of $112.83 and a 12 month high of $204.18.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.29). The business had revenue of $511.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $602.38 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.10% and a return on equity of 20.20%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.06%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.15, for a total transaction of $140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $140,150. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 91.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 131.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Steph & Co. raised its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 55.6% during the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.