Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Sets New 12-Month High at $158.06

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $158.06 and last traded at $157.35, with a volume of 6387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $156.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on HLI. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $131.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $154.00 price objective (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $150.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 2.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.28 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50-day moving average is $148.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.47.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 15.30%. The company had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $508.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 55.47%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $30,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,035,656.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,035,656.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,619 shares of company stock worth $2,818,759 in the last quarter. 25.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 624.8% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 6,267 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,104,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $654,300,000 after buying an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 731,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,723,000 after buying an additional 37,882 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 118,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,205,000 after buying an additional 12,419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 165,791 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,880,000 after acquiring an additional 44,558 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.