Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) Stock Price
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemHoulihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI – Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $205.00 to $193.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 28.22% from the stock’s current price.
A number of other research firms have also weighed in on HLI. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Houlihan Lokey from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $196.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $210.00 to $184.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $218.00 to $214.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $209.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $197.71.
View Our Latest Stock Report on HLI
Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 1.8%
HLI traded up $2.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $150.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 138,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 593,250. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.58. Houlihan Lokey has a 1 year low of $134.41 and a 1 year high of $211.78. The company has a market cap of $10.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.12 and a beta of 1.00.
Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.09. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 24.46%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. Houlihan Lokey’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling at Houlihan Lokey
In related news, Director Robert A. Schriesheim sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.86, for a total value of $854,300.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 27,982 shares in the company, valued at $4,781,004.52. The trade was a 15.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $71,700.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,700. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 22.83% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,305,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,089,260,000 after purchasing an additional 13,750 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 362.1% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,703,369 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,706,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334,769 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,418,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,133,000 after purchasing an additional 84,757 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2,723.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,199,459 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $208,934,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the third quarter worth about $230,335,000. 78.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Houlihan Lokey Company Profile
Houlihan Lokey, Inc is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company specializes in advisory services across a broad range of transaction types and financial matters. Since its founding, Houlihan Lokey has grown to serve corporations, financial sponsors, and government entities worldwide, providing expertise in complex and high-stakes engagements.
The firm’s core service offerings include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital markets advisory, financial restructuring and distressed M&A, and valuation and fairness opinions.