Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Now Covered by Analysts at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets has initiated coverage of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) with an "outperform" rating and a price target of $230.00, suggesting a potential upside of 14.36% from the stock's previous close.
• The company reported impressive quarterly earnings, exceeding analyst expectations with earnings per share of $2.14 and a revenue increase of 17.8% year-over-year.
• Insider trading activity has been notable, with Chairman Irwin Gold selling 6,811 shares for approximately $1.38 million and other insiders disposing of a total of 47,311 shares in recent months.

Stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "outperform" rating and a $230.00 price target on the financial services provider's stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price indicates a potential upside of 14.36% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on HLI. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Zacks Research cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $232.00 in a report on Monday, July 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $213.83.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI stock opened at $201.12 on Friday. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $137.99 and a 52-week high of $211.78. The stock has a market cap of $14.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.86 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $198.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.53.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.46% and a return on equity of 23.75%. The firm had revenue of $605.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $573.07 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 6,811 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.75, for a total value of $1,380,930.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total transaction of $98,110.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 47,311 shares of company stock worth $9,477,040. Insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $619,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,895,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 404.0% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 63,433 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,725,000 after buying an additional 50,847 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,987 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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