Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Raised to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group increased their target price 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 cut their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of HLI traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $181.92. The stock had a trading volume of 460,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 395,666. The company has a market cap of $12.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.72 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $119.28 and a 52 week high of $192.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.78 and a 200 day moving average of $167.17.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.59% and a net margin of 16.00%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $76,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.