Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives $157.00 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $157.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company 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 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $154.00 price target (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.2 %

HLI traded up $2.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $169.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 151,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 321,474. Houlihan Lokey has a twelve month low of $94.67 and a twelve month high of $169.78. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $155.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.25 and a beta of 0.66.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22. The company had revenue of $514.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total value of $1,263,269.13. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,317 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.89, for a total value of $1,263,269.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,717 shares of company stock valued at $1,479,513 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 25.97% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the second quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% during the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at $74,000. 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.