Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Sets New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $198.06 and last traded at $195.84, with a volume of 32171 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $194.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price target (up from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69 and a beta of 0.83. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $179.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $171.37.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.35. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The company had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. 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 given a $0.60 dividend. This is an increase 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 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.24%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.81, for a total value of $914,050.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,508 shares of company stock worth $2,431,670. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% in 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 stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.