Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $172.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $229.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $194.40.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI opened at $170.63 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.56 and a beta of 0.69. Houlihan Lokey has a fifty-two week low of $121.81 and a fifty-two week high of $192.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $177.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.15.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.13. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 16.00%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Houlihan Lokey

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HLI. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter worth $459,000. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,251,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $217,393,000 after purchasing an additional 20,354 shares during the period. Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Houlihan Lokey in the fourth quarter worth about $694,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 179,167 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,114,000 after purchasing an additional 13,384 shares during the period. Finally, Wolverine Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Houlihan Lokey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $270,000. 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.