Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Given New $172.00 Price Target at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its price objective lowered by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $177.00 to $172.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on HLI. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. UBS Group set a $160.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $152.81. The stock had a trading volume of 656,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 616,054. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $150.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.85. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $134.41 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $10.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 23.15%. The firm had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 38.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,700. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.

The firm’s core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.