Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential downside of 3.27% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 target price (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $131.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $150.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of HLI stock opened at $154.04 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey has a 52-week low of $94.67 and a 52-week high of $157.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 37.48 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.37.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.30% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The firm had revenue of $514.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.6% 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.49, for a total transaction of $30,498.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,067,582.49. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total transaction of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.49, for a total transaction of $30,498.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,001 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,582.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,619 shares of company stock valued at $2,818,759. Insiders own 25.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 194.9% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. 78.07% of the stock is 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.