Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $168.58 and last traded at $168.58, with a volume of 5044 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $167.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on HLI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $154.00 price target (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $149.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.2 %

The stock's fifty day moving average price is $155.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.45. The stock has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.75 and a beta of 0.66.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22. The company had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $508.70 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 15.30%. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 55.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,656.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.28, for a total transaction of $30,456.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,656.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,717 shares of company stock valued at $1,479,513 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 25.97% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 624.8% during the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 6,267 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,104,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $654,300,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 5.5% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 731,130 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $93,723,000 after buying an additional 37,882 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter valued at about $690,000. Finally, American International Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 15,061.5% in the fourth quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 69,743 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,363,000 after buying an additional 69,283 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.