Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $175.54 and last traded at $174.91, with a volume of 15938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $149.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $154.00 price objective (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One analyst has 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 a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a market cap of $11.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.60 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $160.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.03.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.67%. The company had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.93 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.11 EPS. The company's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 46.63%.

Insider Activity

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total transaction of $1,263,269.13. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,496.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,917 shares of company stock valued at $1,513,129 in the last 90 days. 23.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 69.1% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

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.