HLI
Houlihan Lokey, Inc.
HLI's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS has the edge over HLI overall, supported by stronger fundamentals and stronger modeled upside.
HLI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
HLI's profitability is currently healthy, and its revenue is stable. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like HLI.
MS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
MS's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like MS.
HLI PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 17x | $101 | -29% |
| Forward | 18x | $143 | — |
| Fair | 22x | $134 | -6.7% |
| Current | 24x | $143 | — |
| Expensive | 32x | $193 | +34% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
HLI has the edge over MS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
MS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 11x | $134 | -29% |
| Fair | 14x | $178 | -5.7% |
| Forward | 14x | $189 | — |
| Current | 15x | $189 | — |
| Expensive | 18x | $223 | +18% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MS's PE is in its fair range at 15x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 14x next year's earnings.
HLI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for HLI, with profitability improving.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MS, with profitability improving.
HLI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $8.11 | +36% |
| Q3 2026 | $5.96 | -3.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.95 | +0.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.22 | +6.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.51 | +24% |
| Q3 2025 | $6.20 | +27% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.94 | +32% |
| Q1 2025 | $5.82 | +42% |
| Q4 2024 | $5.24 | +35% |
HLI earned $5.96 per share over the past year, down 3.9% from the year before.
MS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.39 | +6.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.60 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.37 | +40% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.04 | +29% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.21 | +28% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.76 | +48% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.84 | +45% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.53 | +55% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.95 | +53% |
MS has the edge over HLI on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
HLI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $692M | +4.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $511M | -16% |
| Q1 2026 | $635.6M | -4.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $717.1M | +13% |
| Q3 2025 | $659.5M | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $605.3M | +18% |
| Q1 2025 | $666.4M | +28% |
| Q4 2024 | $634.4M | +24% |
HLI's revenue fell from its 2021 peak and has held roughly level since: $692M last quarter, up 4.9% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 22% | -0.7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 15% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 20% | -1.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 22% | +1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 23% | +0.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 15% | -3.8 points |
| Q1 2025 | 21% | +1.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +2.6 points |
HLI's operating margin was 22% last quarter, down 0.7 points from the same quarter a year ago.
MS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.3B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $21.3B | +27% |
| Q1 2026 | $20.6B | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $17.9B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $18.2B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $16.8B | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $17.7B | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $16.2B | +26% |
MS has the edge over HLI on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | -1.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 34% | +6.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 34% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 32% | +2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +5.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 31% | +2.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +14 points |
MS has the edge over HLI on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
HLI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $240M | -26% |
| Q2 2026 | -$342M | -$197.2M |
| Q1 2026 | $286.8M | -17% |
| Q4 2025 | $217M | -17% |
| Q3 2025 | $322.8M | +16% |
| Q2 2025 | -$144.8M | -$69.4M |
| Q1 2025 | $343.9M | +61% |
| Q3 2024 | $278.7M | +148% |
HLI has the edge over MS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
MS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$46B | -$42.7B |
| Q2 2026 | -$2.7B | -123% |
| Q1 2026 | -$7.1B | +$16.9B |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4B | -120% |
| Q3 2025 | -$3.3B | +$14B |
| Q2 2025 | $11.8B | +368% |
| Q1 2025 | -$24B | -650% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.8B | +$29.6B |
MS's free cash flow was −$58.3B over the past year, against −$3.7B the year before. Free cash flow isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
HLI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.9% | -600K shares |
| 1 year | -2.3% | -1.6M shares |
| 3 years | -1.3% | -867K shares |
| 5 years | -2.3% | -1.6M shares |
| Available history | +2.1% | +1.4M shares |
HLI has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $50M |
| Q2 2026 | $50M |
| Q1 2026 | $50M |
| Q4 2025 | $87.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $29.7M |
| Q2 2025 | $7.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $52.2M |
| Q4 2024 | $86,000 |
HLI spent $238M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 165% from the year before.
MS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.2% | -3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.5% | -24M shares |
| 3 years | -4.7% | -77M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -246M shares |
| Available history | -4.5% | -74M shares |
MS has 1.6B diluted shares, down 1.5% from a year ago.
HLI Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -2.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
HLI has the edge over MS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 7.8x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 7.3x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 8.2x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 8.6x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 8.4x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 7.9x | High |
MS's net debt is about 7.8 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 8.4 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
HLI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 68.0 | Neutral |
HLI's weekly RSI is 54 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 68 (neutral).
MS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 45.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.7 | Oversold |
MS's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 19 (oversold).
HLI PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | HLI | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 13x | 85% above |
| PE % | 57 | 63 | 6 pts below |
HLI is trading at 24x earnings, a 85% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
MS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | MS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 13x | 15% above |
| PE % | 59 | 63 | 4 pts below |
MS has the edge over HLI on valuation relative to its sector.
HLI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $134.2 | 6.9% above |
| 20 week MA | $134.0 | 7.1% above |
| 50 week MA | $149.1 | 3.8% below |
| 100 week MA | $164.4 | 13% below |
| 200 week MA | $143.2 | 0.2% above |
HLI's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 0.2% above its 200-week average.
MS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $186.5 | 1.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $203.3 | 6.9% below |
| 50 week MA | $191.9 | 1.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $164.9 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $129.3 | 46% above |
MS's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 46% above its 200-week average.
HLI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $48.9 | $67.2 | +37% |
| 2021 | $67.2 | $103.6 | +54% |
| 2022 | $103.6 | $89.2 | -14% |
| 2023 | $89.2 | $119.9 | +35% |
| 2024 | $119.9 | $174.3 | +45% |
| 2025 | $174.3 | $178.5 | +2.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $178.5 | $143.4 | -20% |
HLI has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's down 20% so far in 2026.
MS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $51.1 | $68.1 | +33% |
| 2021 | $68.1 | $99.3 | +46% |
| 2022 | $99.3 | $86.1 | -13% |
| 2023 | $86.1 | $93.3 | +8.3% |
| 2024 | $93.3 | $126.8 | +36% |
| 2025 | $126.8 | $181.9 | +43% |
| 2026 YTD | $181.9 | $189.2 | +4% |
MS has the edge over HLI on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.