Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.

HLI has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price target (up from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HLI opened at $170.53 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $177.04 and its 200-day moving average is $171.14. The company has a market cap of $11.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.54 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $121.81 and a 52-week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $62,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.