Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Price Target Lowered to $145.00 at UBS Group

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) had its price objective reduced by UBS Group from $157.00 to $145.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on HLI. JMP Securities reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a market perform rating and set a $127.00 price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Monday, January 29th.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $136.83. The stock had a trading volume of 261,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 339,697. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $86.20 and a 52 week high of $137.80. The company has a market cap of $9.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.29 and a beta of 0.67. The business's 50 day moving average price is $127.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.75.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.07. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 14.64% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The company had revenue of $520.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $508.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. Houlihan Lokey's revenue for the quarter was up 17.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 3rd. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Houlihan Lokey's dividend payout ratio is 55.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.94, for a total transaction of $128,940.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 25.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,104,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $654,300,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,123,251 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $334,563,000 after purchasing an additional 34,580 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,760,144 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $295,667,000 after acquiring an additional 17,696 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 56.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,723,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $291,761,000 after purchasing an additional 978,776 shares during the period. Finally, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,714,480 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $205,583,000 after purchasing an additional 46,443 shares during the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.