Houlihan Lokey's Business Mix Makes It Appealing In A Challenging Money Management Environment

On Tuesday, Houlihan Lokey HLI reported Q1 EPS of $0.35 vs. estimates of $0.32 and revenues of $181 million vs. estimates of $164.7 million.

UBS's Take

UBS's Brennan Hawken applauded Houlihan Lokey's strength in its "difficult" business environment. The analyst reiterated Lokey's Buy rating and $27.00 price target.

Related Link: Houlihan Lokey Reports Q1 EPS $0.35 vs. Est. $0.32, Rev. $181M vs. Est. $164.7M

Hawken was impressed with Houlihan Lokey's earnings report, especially in the growth of engagements despite ongoing stress from energy and commodity sectors. Additionally, the analyst praised the company's increase in average fee per closed transaction and an increase in retainers from active mandates.

Despite all of the macro noise in the market during the first quarter, Houlihan Lokey added 3MDs during the second quarter, "and continues to look to add teams or pursue bolt-on acquisitions where they make sense," stated Hawken.

At time of writing, Houlihan Lokey traded at $24.40, up 4.47 percent Wednesday.