Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE HLI opened at $184.15 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $166.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.11. The company has a market capitalization of $12.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66 and a beta of 0.65. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $102.29 and a 1-year high of $190.66.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.63%.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,496.08. This represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 1,600 shares of company stock worth $249,860 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 17,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. Azora Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $13,230,000. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $803,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 3,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.