Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Given New $178.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) had its price target decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $180.00 to $178.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an underweight rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Houlihan Lokey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Two equities research 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $173.40.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of HLI traded up $3.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $168.14. 479,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 380,251. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $112.84 and a 1 year high of $192.10. The firm's fifty day moving average is $179.93 and its 200-day moving average is $163.09.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 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 company had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $537.93 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.11 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is 46.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% during the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,273,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $441,507,000 after acquiring an additional 62,314 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,087,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $416,434,000 after purchasing an additional 38,155 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake 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 worth $255,276,000 after purchasing an additional 21,106 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 970,559 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $153,405,000 after purchasing an additional 26,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 776,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $104,697,000 after purchasing an additional 45,205 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.