Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at BMO Capital Markets

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HLI. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded 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, July 14th. Zacks Research cut Houlihan Lokey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.83.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

HLI stock opened at $201.24 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $198.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.80. Houlihan Lokey has a one year low of $137.99 and a one year high of $211.78. The company has a market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Chairman Paul Eric Siegert sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.95, for a total value of $7,998,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 6,811 shares of Houlihan Lokey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.75, for a total transaction of $1,380,930.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,311 shares of company stock worth $9,477,040. Company insiders own 22.83% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 111.1% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Motco bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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