Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Rating Lowered by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley cut shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a report published on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $200.00 target price on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior target price of $171.00.

Several other analysts also recently commented on HLI. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $149.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $164.40.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

HLI traded down $4.11 on Monday, reaching $180.19. 411,803 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 319,849. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $112.17 and a 52-week high of $192.10. The company has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.69 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $175.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.38.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The firm had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $537.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.63%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total value of $30,456.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,035,656.28. This represents a 2.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the third 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 bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at about $76,000. 78.07% of the stock is 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.