Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

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

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $192.00 price target (up previously from $159.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

NYSE:HLI traded down $1.34 on Friday, hitting $189.41. The stock had a trading volume of 353,005 shares, compared to its average volume of 359,723. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $177.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.84. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $137.99 and a 1 year high of $192.44. The stock has a market cap of $13.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.54 and a beta of 0.83.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.73% and a return on equity of 21.61%. The company had revenue of $666.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. Houlihan Lokey's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total value of $86,510.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total transaction of $1,431,109.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,508 shares of company stock valued at $2,431,670. Company insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Amundi boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 9,223.0% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 12,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,182,000 after purchasing an additional 12,451 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 13,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,405,000 after acquiring an additional 2,033 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $204,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $1,569,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $202,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by 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.