Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE: HLI)

Sector: Financial Services Industry: Capital Markets CIK: 0001302215
Market Cap 11.71 Bn
P/B 5.21
P/E 27.46
P/S 4.56
ROIC (Qtr) 13.62
Div Yield % 1.67
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 14.70
Total Debt (Qtr) 432.90 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.19

About

Houlihan Lokey, Inc., recognized by its stock symbol HLI, operates as a prominent global independent investment bank, specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), capital markets, financial restructurings, and financial and valuation advisory. Established in 1972, the company has expanded its footprint with offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. The company's primary business activities encompass Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory. The Corporate Finance practice, led...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong operating cash flow of 817.31M provides robust 1.89x coverage of total debt 432.90M, indicating excellent debt servicing capability and financial flexibility.
  • Strong tangible asset base of 2.30B provides 5.31x coverage of total debt 432.90M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Robust free cash flow of 783.56M exceeds capital expenditure of 33.75M by 23.21x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Free cash flow of 783.56M provides solid 1.66x coverage of operating expenses 471.33M, showing operational efficiency.
  • Operating cash flow of 817.31M provides strong 24.21x coverage of capital expenditure 33.75M, enabling organic growth.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 817.31M barely covers its investment activities of (198.38M), with a coverage ratio of -4.12, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 817.31M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (169.79M) with a -4.81 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 923.58M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (37.85M), which is -24.40x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • The company's operating cash flow of 817.31M shows concerning coverage of stock compensation expenses of 178.90M, with a 4.57 ratio indicating potential earnings quality issues.
  • Operating cash flow of 817.31M is outpaced by equity issuance of (89.81M) (-9.10 ratio), indicating concerning reliance on equity markets for funding operations.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Capital Markets
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc 284.23 Bn 17.94 4.84 911.32 Bn
2 MS Morgan Stanley 279.63 Bn 17.97 4.05 353.12 Bn
3 SCHW Schwab Charles Corp 179.33 Bn 23.09 7.83 27.59 Bn
4 HOOD Robinhood Markets, Inc. 106.92 Bn 48.73 25.43 0.00 Bn
5 CRCL Circle Internet Group, Inc. 40.97 Bn 261.00 24.22 0.15 Bn
6 IBKR Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. 28.23 Bn 30.79 4.75 28.43 Bn
7 LPLA LPL Financial Holdings Inc. 27.60 Bn 33.13 1.77 7.52 Bn
8 FUTU Futu Holdings Ltd 22.89 Bn 18.13 8.54 1.75 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 2.99 1.07
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 13.89 15.33
EV to Debt EV to Debt 26.23 21.89
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 20.51 -0.80
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 18.77 11.20
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 14.49 43.08
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 0.97 -0.05
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 4.43 12.82
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 5.21 3.09
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 27.46 6.20
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.51 4.22
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 36.40 10.37
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 2.34 0.70
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 20.00 -8.68
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 0.00 37.53
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 31.35 -12,429.64
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 33.30 1,588.78
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 4.46 4.88
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 27.56 270.93
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 24.13 333.57
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 21.22 3,103.22
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 21.22 3,039.53
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 24.85 24.25
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 56.17 -80.08
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 21.01 51.33
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.68 0.42
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.20 -0.08
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio 0.00 2.01
Current Ratio Current Ratio 0.00 3.47
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.19 1.46
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 0.00 37.53
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 0.00 37.53
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 25.00 76.68
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 21.57 46.81
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 21.57 58.57
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 100.00 53.60
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 16.60 29.41