Houlihan Lokey (HLI)
Financials · Investment Banking & Brokerage · NYSE
A prominent global independent investment bank focused exclusively on conflict-free financial advisory, restructuring, and M&A services.
What Houlihan Lokey does
Houlihan Lokey is a leading global independent investment bank that provides advisory services in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm operates through three primary segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory, serving a diverse client base ranging from mid-cap companies to global corporations and financial sponsors. Unlike many competitors, the firm does not engage in lending, securities sales, or trading, positioning itself as a conflict-free advisor.
Themes: investment banking, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate restructuring, financial advisory, valuation services, capital markets
Fundamentals
- Price$125.53 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$8.8B as of 2026-07-28 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return-34.4% 2025-10-08 close $191.30 → 2026-10-08 close $125.53
- P/E21.05 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+16.3% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+32.3% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+18.2% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.00 as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue growth (YoY)+1.7% as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+13.1% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.95 as of 2026-09-03
- Last reported earnings2026-07-30 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +2.1%; at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How HLI compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiotop 25% 513 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit marginmiddle range 344 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- operating marginmiddle range 122 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- gross marginmiddle range 32 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- return on equitytop 25% 559 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 347 covered Financials peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 468 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-03
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)top 25% 430 covered Financials peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
HLI is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Top 10 score
50.3 #720 of 1,379 scored · #164 of 220 in Financials
Financial health 90th (debt to equity 0, free cash flow margin 26%) and profitability 72nd (operating margin 20.1%, return on equity 18.2%); weakest is trend (19th, a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day).
Scores as of 8 Oct 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 4.
Dividend coverage (FY2026)
Covered by reported results. In FY2026, HLI's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 41%, free-cash-flow payout 26%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout41% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout26% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2026 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Houlihan Lokey looks technically
Houlihan Lokey (HLI) is trading 15.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 194 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 17, below the 25 that marks a real trend), though sellers have been pushing harder than buyers lately — pressure, not a trend. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 40, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago. It is 38.5% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 15.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -15.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $129.84 | $129.84 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $148.88 | $148.88 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 28 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 28 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 141.08. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 194 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 194 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 17, below the 25 that marks a real trend), though sellers have been pushing harder than buyers lately — pressure, not a trend | 17.4 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 40, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 40.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($121.89 to $135.46) — its "stochastic" reading is 27 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 26.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 16 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $204.18 | $204.18 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 38.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -38.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 11.3% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +11.3% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 38.5% below its highest point of the past year | 38.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 43 trading days ago | 43 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $211.78 (set on 2025-09-23) | $211.78 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($123.39 to $202.25), and it has recovered only a small part of its fall from last year’s high — 3% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $172.13 to $174.65. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 2.7% |
| From the all-time high | it is 40.7% below its all-time high | -40.7% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 4.8% below a resistance level at $131.58 — a price it turned at three times since 2026-06-29, most recently on 2026-08-06. Since 2024-10-08 it has 0 such levels below the current price and 13 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +4.8% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $18.22 (set on 2015-08-24) | $18.22 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 589.0% above its all-time low | +589.0% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 44th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $4.17 between its high and its low — about 3.3% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $4.17 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $122.95 and $136.60 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $122.95 – $129.77 – $136.60 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.3% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.3% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 5.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (15.7% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 5.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.12× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have cut their average price target by 0.3% since the prior reading | -0.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
3
| Since a doji | 6 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 6 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a hammer | 1 session ago, after a stretch of decline, it sold off hard during the session and then closed back near its high — a "hammer", the long lower wick showing the drop was bought back before the close | 1 session ago |
| Since a bullish engulfing | 5 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 5 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.4% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 13.6% gap down opened on 2026-07-30 has been "filled" 20 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 29 sessions to close | 20 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 8.3 percentage points (the stock lost 7.3% while the market gained 1.0%) | -8.3% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 10.4 percentage points (the stock lost 6.5% while the market gained 3.8%) | -10.4% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 28.3 percentage points (the stock lost 10.8% while the market gained 17.5%) | -28.3% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 49.4 percentage points (the stock lost 34.4% while the market gained 15.0%) | -49.4% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 0 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 0 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day low, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 3.4% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is thin, spanning 0.7% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that gives way easily. | -3.4% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 13% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $143.67 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 191 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -12.6% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 3% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-30 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $129.69 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 50 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -3.2% |
Price levels it has turned at before
HLI last closed at $125.53 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 0 prices below its last close and 13 above; the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $131.58 | Resistance | 4.8% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-06-29 to 2026-08-06 |
| $133.97 | Resistance | 6.7% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-03-24 to 2026-08-19 |
| $137.00 | Resistance | 9.1% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-04-07 to 2026-04-02 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $141.08.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $85.78 and $106.91 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close above $141.08.
This reading has stood for 17 trading days, since 2026-09-16.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · Broke down to a new 20-day low · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.27 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 8 analysts
- Mean price target$152.63 range $147.00 – $165.00; median $151.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-09. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for HLI
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.64 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-09
- Estimate change, 30 days-$0.015 (-0.9%) from $1.65, on 2026-09-04, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward11% of 9 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Dependence on market conditions for M&A and restructuring activity, which are inherently cyclical.","Ability to attract and retain highly qualified financial professionals in a competitive labor market.","Reputational risk associated with the quality and independence of advisory services."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of HLI's 10-Q filed 2026-02-03 against the prior one filed 2025-11-04.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added text in newer filing (2026-02-03): 'In connection with certain acquisitions, certain employees may be entitled to deferred consideration, primarily in the form of retention payments, should certain service and/or performance conditions be met in the future. As a result of these conditions, such deferred consideration would be expensed as compensation in current and future periods and has been accrued as liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025.'
- Removed:
- Removed from older filing (2025-11-04): 'In connection with certain acquisitions, certain employees may be entitled to deferred consideration, primarily in the form of retention payments, should certain service and/or performance conditions be met in the future. As a result of these conditions, such deferred consideration would be expensed as compensation in current and future periods and has been accrued as liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025.'
- Removed from older filing (2025-11-04): sentence about certain annual equity-based bonus awards granted prior to December 31, 2024 including fixed share compensation awards and liability classified fixed dollar awards, and text about cash bonuses accrued monthly
- Reworded:
- Newer filing (2026-02-03) uses 'We are under no duty to, and we do not undertake any obligation to, update' while older filing (2025-11-04) uses 'We are under no duty to and we do not undertake any obligation to update' (comma added after 'to')
- Notes:
- The older filing text appears truncated at the end, cutting off mid-sentence regarding cash bonuses. Comparison of compensation expense discussion is therefore incomplete for the full section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 30 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 1 sell ($140150) — 1 selling insider
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($500570) · 1 sell ($140150) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($500570) · 2 sells ($1M) — 1 buying, 2 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: mixed (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-09-10. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about HLI's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
U.S. House trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 5 matched disclosures for HLI from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
U.S. House trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
6 institutional 13F filers reported holding HLI as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 6
- Reported shares held 10,243,580
- Reported value $1,373,966,781
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 1 new, 2 increased, 3 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about HLI's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
HLI had 2,588,193 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
Short interest as a percent of shares outstanding is not shown for HLI because we do not hold a verified share count to divide it by. The reported figures above are unaffected.
- Reported short interest (shares) 2,588,193
- Prior settlement (shares) 2,538,664
- Reported change 1.95%
- Days to cover (reported) 3.09
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Evercore (EVR)
- Moelis & Company (MC)
- Lazard (LAZ)
- PJT Partners (PJT)
- Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP)
- Centerview Partners
- Goldman Sachs (GS)
- JPMorgan Chase (JPM)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Houlihan Lokey (HLI) do?
Houlihan Lokey is a leading global independent investment bank that provides advisory services in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm operates through three primary segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory, serving a diverse client base ranging from mid-cap companies to global corporations and financial sponsors.
What sector is Houlihan Lokey (HLI) in?
Houlihan Lokey (HLI) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is Investment Banking & Brokerage. It trades on NYSE.
Does HLI pay a dividend?
Yes — Houlihan Lokey (HLI) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 2.14% and at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-03). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Houlihan Lokey's (HLI) competitors?
Notable peers of Houlihan Lokey (HLI) include Evercore, Moelis & Company, Lazard, PJT Partners and Perella Weinberg Partners. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent U.S. House stock trading in HLI?
Yes — we hold 5 matched STOCK Act disclosures for HLI from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Houlihan Lokey (HLI) overbought or oversold right now?
Houlihan Lokey (HLI) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 40, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on HLI come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-03; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.