Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold"

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $192.20.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $0.00 on Friday, hitting $182.75. 874,232 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 354,015. The stock has a market cap of $12.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40 and a beta of 0.83. The firm's 50-day moving average is $171.90 and its 200 day moving average is $170.19. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $133.48 and a 52-week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 21.61% and a net margin of 16.73%. The business's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. This is a positive change from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.2% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 9,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at about $1,494,000. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter valued at about $9,549,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,309,000 after purchasing an additional 2,703 shares during the period. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 141.9% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 6,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 3,587 shares during the period. 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.