Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target Cut to $172.00 by Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods

Key Points

• Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut its price target on Houlihan Lokey to $172 from $177 but kept an "outperform" rating, implying roughly a 13.3% upside
• Q4 results missed expectations — EPS $1.63 vs. ~ $1.79 consensus and revenue $635.6M vs. ~ $679M — with revenue down about 4.6% year‑over‑year, pressuring near‑term sentiment and analyst revisions.
• The board raised the quarterly dividend 16.7% to $0.70 and fiscal‑year revenue climbed to $2.62B, while the stock traded up to $151.77 amid disclosed insider selling and high institutional ownership (~78%).

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $177.00 to $172.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods' price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.33% from the company's previous close.

HLI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group set a $160.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 3.1%

HLI stock traded up $4.54 during trading on Thursday, reaching $151.77. 1,153,131 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 602,957. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $150.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $169.11. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $134.41 and a 1 year high of $211.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.99.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.16). Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 24.46% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm had revenue of $635.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,700. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total transaction of $854,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 27,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,781,004.52. This trade represents a 15.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Houlihan Lokey

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.70 (16.7% increase), payable June 15 with record/ex‑dividend on June 1 — signals confidence in cash flow and returns to shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal‑year revenue climbed to $2.62 billion from $2.39 billion a year earlier, demonstrating underlying top‑line growth for the year. BusinessWire FY Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces and metric comparisons are circulating that break down the quarter vs. Street estimates and prior year performance — useful for refining near‑term expectations. Zacks Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Post‑report valuation and longer‑term outlook pieces are evaluating whether the current multiple fairly reflects mixed quarterly results and the company’s growth profile. Yahoo Finance Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: The full earnings‑call transcript is available for investors who want management commentary on deal flow, margin drivers, and outlook. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations: EPS $1.63 (vs. consensus ~ $1.79–$1.84) and revenue ~$635.6M vs. estimates near $679M; quarterly revenue was down ~4.6% YoY — the miss pressures near‑term sentiment and earnings revisions. Zacks Miss MarketBeat Results

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.

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