Houlihan Lokey's (HLI) "Market Perform" Rating Reiterated at JMP Securities

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market perform" rating restated by stock analysts at JMP Securities in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports.

HLI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $127.00 price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Monday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $136.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HLI traded down $1.56 on Tuesday, reaching $131.08. 251,600 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 345,768. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.51 and a beta of 0.68. Houlihan Lokey has a fifty-two week low of $84.44 and a fifty-two week high of $133.80. The business's 50-day moving average is $126.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.32.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 14.90% and a return on equity of 18.06%. The company had revenue of $511.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $493.02 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In other news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.94, for a total value of $128,940.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 25.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HLI. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 113,571.2% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,157,263 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $449,507,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,726 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 56.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,723,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $291,761,000 after acquiring an additional 978,776 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 69.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,507,610 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $161,495,000 after acquiring an additional 620,182 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,225,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in Houlihan Lokey by 127.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 931,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $81,169,000 after acquiring an additional 522,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.