Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $175.54 and last traded at $174.91, with a volume of 15938 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $172.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HLI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 price target (up from $139.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $132.00 to $129.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Houlihan Lokey in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $149.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Houlihan Lokey from $146.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.00.

Houlihan Lokey Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $160.96 and a 200 day moving average of $145.55. The company has a market cap of $11.91 billion, a PE ratio of 35.03 and a beta of 0.65.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. The firm had revenue of $574.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.63%.

Insider Transactions at Houlihan Lokey

In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,496.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Houlihan Lokey news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,496.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,917 shares of company stock worth $1,513,129. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Houlihan Lokey in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 264.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 69.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company’s stock.

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.