Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on HLI. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group increased their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Houlihan Lokey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted 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, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $180.13 on Tuesday. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $119.28 and a 1 year high of $192.10. The firm has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.84 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. As a group, research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter valued at $76,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.