Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $189.19 and last traded at $189.02, with a volume of 62217 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $185.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Houlihan Lokey Trading Up 2.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $13.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.98 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $163.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.75.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.79 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Houlihan Lokey news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total transaction of $33,616.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,496.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Gillian Beth Zucker sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.08, for a total value of $33,616.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,601 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,496.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.29, for a total value of $155,290.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,917 shares of company stock valued at $1,513,129 in the last 90 days. 23.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,104,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $654,300,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.9% in the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,273,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $441,507,000 after purchasing an additional 62,314 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.3% in the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 3,087,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $416,434,000 after purchasing an additional 38,155 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 6.2% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 776,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $104,697,000 after purchasing an additional 45,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 1.2% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 517,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $69,851,000 after purchasing an additional 6,291 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.