Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) Short Interest Up 18.3% in December

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 819,900 shares, an increase of 18.3% from the December 15th total of 692,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 325,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of HLI traded up $1.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $181.21. 326,287 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 321,812. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.06 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $116.67 and a 12-month high of $192.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $179.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.26.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.15. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. The company had revenue of $574.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.93 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Houlihan Lokey’s payout ratio is 46.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HLI shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded Houlihan Lokey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $180.00 to $178.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter valued at $38,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 81.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $76,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.