Analysts Set Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Target Price at $194.40

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $194.40.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HLI shares. StockNews.com upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $192.00 target price (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC now owns 8,103 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,293,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,122,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% in 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. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE HLI traded up $1.05 on Friday, reaching $182.72. The company had a trading volume of 188,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,367. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $121.81 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The stock has a market cap of $12.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87 and a beta of 0.69. The stock's 50 day moving average is $177.61 and its 200-day moving average is $170.21.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. As a group, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 43.51%.

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.