Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $205.00 to $193.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $191.29.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $137.84 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $133.83 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.95. The firm's 50-day moving average is $149.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $161.72.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 22.88%. The business had revenue of $635.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $679.22 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 EPS. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 6,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.26, for a total value of $941,378.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 6,265 shares in the company, valued at $941,378.90. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,305,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,089,260,000 after buying an additional 13,750 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,751,495 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $251,551,000 after acquiring an additional 48,126 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,133,000 after acquiring an additional 84,757 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $208,934,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,041,990 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $187,506,000 after purchasing an additional 41,470 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Houlihan Lokey

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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