Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) had its price target boosted by Morgan Stanley from $200.00 to $201.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an underweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $192.00 price target (up previously from $170.00) on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $180.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a PE ratio of 36.84 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a one year low of $119.28 and a one year high of $192.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $179.10 and a 200 day moving average of $166.69.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 19.29% and a net margin of 15.77%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLI. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 666.8% in the third quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 283,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,831,000 after acquiring an additional 246,705 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 341.0% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 307,304 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,366,000 after buying an additional 237,615 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the third quarter worth about $24,177,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 33.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 601,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $94,974,000 after buying an additional 149,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 23.6% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 693,109 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $109,525,000 after buying an additional 132,516 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.