StockNews.com Downgrades Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) to Hold

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

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on HLI. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $194.40.

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Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI stock traded up $2.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $173.42. 295,998 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,513. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.10 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $177.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.14. Houlihan Lokey has a 12 month low of $121.81 and a 12 month high of $192.10.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,265,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $914,420,000 after purchasing an additional 98,495 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,281,294 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $569,830,000 after buying an additional 208,851 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,875,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $325,651,000 after buying an additional 161,647 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,615,467 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $255,276,000 after buying an additional 21,106 shares during the period. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,251,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $217,393,000 after acquiring an additional 20,354 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.