Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Receives $206.40 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $206.40.

HLI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price target (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $86,510.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Motco bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 3,714.3% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 267 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE HLI traded up $3.93 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $194.44. 498,663 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 360,905. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.05. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $137.99 and a 1-year high of $195.60. The firm has a market cap of $13.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41 and a beta of 0.83.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $628.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

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.