JMP Securities Reiterates Market Perform Rating for Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI)

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market perform rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on HLI. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Houlihan Lokey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $171.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $170.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Houlihan Lokey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of Houlihan Lokey stock opened at $180.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $179.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.84 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a 52 week low of $119.28 and a 52 week high of $192.10.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 15.77% and a return on equity of 19.29%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Houlihan Lokey’s dividend payout ratio is 46.63%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Houlihan Lokey

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HLI. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 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 buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth about $76,000. 78.07% of the stock is currently 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.