Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives $194.20 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $192.00.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $201.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $179.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI opened at $161.50 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $173.82 and its 200-day moving average is $172.10. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $121.81 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The firm has a market cap of $11.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82 and a beta of 0.72.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.