October 5, 2023
Top 10 Stock Houlihan Lokey Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Houlihan Lokey – Top 10 Stock in SDG 10: Reduced Inequality
Houlihan Lokey is listed as a top 10 stock on October 05, 2023 in the market index SDG 10 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. While the company shows high growth, the stock price is high yet professional investor sentiment is low, which may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior, reflected in a low stock price value. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 60 (high 60% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Houlihan Lokey on October 05, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Houlihan Lokey Buy
| 360 METRICS | October 5, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 98 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 20 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 60 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 60 (better than 60% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Houlihan Lokey are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Houlihan Lokey. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 87, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. This means that growth is higher than for 87% of competitors in the same industry. In addition, the consolidated Safety Rank has a safer rank of 98 which means that the company has a financing structure that is safer than 98% comparable companies when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the consolidated Value Rank has a less desirable rank of 12 which means that the share price of Houlihan Lokey is on the higher side compared with typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means that the stock price is higher than for 88% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Sentiment Rank also has a low rank of 20, which means that professional investors are more pessimistic about the stock than for 80% of alternative investment opportunities. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 60, Houlihan Lokey is better positioned than 60% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, the picture is ambiguous. Growth is above-average (Growth Rank of 87), and the company is safely financed (Safety Rank of 98). However, professional market sentiment is low(Sentiment Rank of 20). The negative market view on Houlihan Lokey may be due to the high stock price (low value). A growth company like this may get too expensive at one point in time. If too many investors are desperate to board the train, they may drive stock prices above reasonable levels. It is typical for growth companies to have low value ratings, because investors are willing to pay more for companies that outperform their competitors. So the question is, how much more do you pay for the stock of Houlihan Lokey compared with alternatives? You can use the following rule of thumb: The value rank shouldn’t be lower than one hundred minus the growth rank. For example, if the growth rank is at 75, and the value rank is at 5, you should tread carefully. If the value rank is at 40, it still might be a good value if the value rank is above 60. As market sentiment is low, you should be careful with paying more than market-average for this stock and conduct further research into the company’s future growth potential. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Houlihan Lokey negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 20 (better than 20% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Houlihan Lokey is critical, mostly below average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Houlihan Lokey. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 15 (worse than 85% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are more positive in their investment recommendations in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Houlihan Lokey. More encouragingly, the Professional Investors rank is 63, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 63% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But Market Pulse is on the lower side with a rank of 23, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 77% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 20 (less encouraging than 80% compared with investment alternatives), Houlihan Lokey has a reputation among professional investors that is far below that of its competitors. The sentiment signals are mixed for Houlihan Lokey. While analysts and the news channels are negative, there is a change in what analysts think. Above-average institutional investors in this company support them. Sentiment signals remain mixed with analysts and news channels pessimistic, though improving, and professional investors above average. ...read more
Value Strategy: Houlihan Lokey Stock Price Value low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% compared with alternatives), Houlihan Lokey shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Houlihan Lokey. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 53% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 35 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 65% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Houlihan Lokey's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 18 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 82% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 19 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 81% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 12, is a sell recommendation based on Houlihan Lokey's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Houlihan Lokey? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Houlihan Lokey only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Houlihan Lokey Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Houlihan Lokey shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Houlihan Lokey. Sales Growth has a rank of 85 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 85% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 39% of competitors with a rank of 81, and Stock Returns with the rank of 85 is also an outperformance. Only Profit Growth is low with a rank of 39 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 61% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. All three operating growth indicators, namely revenue, profit, and capital growth, are showing improvements. This is a good indication of a company with a positive future. That might, at the same time, be the simple reason why profit growth is low. A growing company needs money and thus can't yet show high profit growth. Look out for signs in corporate communication about extra growth efforts costing time and money. If that is the case, Houlihan Lokey is a good growth stock. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Houlihan Lokey Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | October 5, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 88 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 41 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 100 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 98 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives) for 2023, the company Houlihan Lokey has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Houlihan Lokey is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Houlihan Lokey. Leverage is at a rank of 88, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 88% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 100, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 100% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 41, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 59% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives), Houlihan Lokey has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Houlihan Lokey. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Houlihan Lokey Top Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | October 5, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 12 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 87 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 91 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 91 (better than 91% compared with investment alternatives), Houlihan Lokey (Investment Banking & Brokerage, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Houlihan Lokey are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 12 (worse than 88% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 87) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 98, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 91, is a strong buy recommendation based on Houlihan Lokey's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Houlihan Lokey exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 12), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 87). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 98) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). ...read more
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