Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HLI. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $185.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI stock traded up $3.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $175.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 218,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 414,768. The firm's 50-day moving average is $162.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.73. The company has a market cap of $12.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.58 and a beta of 0.82. Houlihan Lokey has a 1-year low of $127.14 and a 1-year high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.24%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total transaction of $1,431,109.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 21.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 36,821 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,818,000 after purchasing an additional 6,483 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 80.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,638 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 2,521 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $1,657,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1,823.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 95,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,550,000 after buying an additional 90,343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 4th quarter valued at $903,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.07% of the company's stock.

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.