Wolfe Research Upgrades Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) to Peer Perform

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) was upgraded by Wolfe Research from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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 report on Wednesday, April 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.50.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $135.40 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $143.18 and a 200-day moving average of $156.41. The company has a market capitalization of $9.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.95. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $131.30 and a 1-year high of $211.78.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $679.22 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 22.88% and a net margin of 16.26%.The company’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total transaction of $941,378.90. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 45.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda now owns 72,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,783,000 after buying an additional 22,400 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 174,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,868,000 after acquiring an additional 14,483 shares during the last quarter. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth about $6,862,000. Prana Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 597.1% in the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 61,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,637,000 after acquiring an additional 52,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 1,140.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 47,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,343,000 after acquiring an additional 44,034 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Houlihan Lokey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Houlihan Lokey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage on Houlihan Lokey (HLI) with a Buy rating and a $164 price target, suggesting upside from the current share price. Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded HLI from Underperform to Peer Perform, which removes a bearish call on the stock and may ease downside sentiment. Wolfe Research Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods still rates Houlihan Lokey Outperform and sees a target of $160, indicating further upside despite trimming its prior target. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods price target update
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating on HLI and lowered its price target only modestly to $187, which still points to substantial upside from current levels. Morgan Stanley price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Houlihan Lokey announced it will release fiscal 2027 first-quarter results on July 29 and hold a conference call the same day; this is a routine event, but it sets up a near-term catalyst. Q1 FY2027 earnings release date
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also said it bolstered its equity capital solutions capabilities with a senior hire, which may help the business but is not an immediate stock-moving event. Senior hire announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets on HLI, including KBW and Morgan Stanley, which can weigh on sentiment even though both firms remain constructive on the shares. Price target reductions

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

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.