HLI vs. MSCI: Houlihan Lokey vs. MSCI Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI) both belong to the Capital Markets industry, though HLI is classified under Investment Banking & Brokerage while MSCI falls under Financial Exchanges & Data.

Company profile comparison for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Profile Item	HLI	MSCI
Name	Houlihan Lokey, Inc.	MSCI Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Financials
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Financial Services
GICS Industry	Capital Markets	Capital Markets
GICS Sub-Industry	Investment Banking & Brokerage	Financial Exchanges & Data
Market Capitalization	10.13 billion USD	46.60 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	August 13, 2015	November 15, 2007
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HLI

MSCI

GSPC

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Total Return (1Y)	-16.23%	12.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.13%	9.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.74%	1.00%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HLI

MSCI

GSPC

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	31.00%	29.82%
Beta (5Y)	0.87	1.17
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-40.30%	-43.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	816.85K	590.34K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

HLI and MSCI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.66	0.28
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.91	0.40

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Houlihan Lokey (HLI) earns 17.29% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; MSCI (MSCI) has no ROE this period.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

17.29%

Max: 44.78%
Q3: 21.85%
HLI: 17.29%
Median: 12.91%
Q1: 4.48%
Min: -18.71%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

Max: 44.78%
Q3: 21.85%
Median: 12.91%
Q1: 4.48%
Min: -18.71%
MSCI: --

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): MSCI does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; HLI is benchmarked against the Financial Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

MSCI (MSCI) at 40.31% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 15.80%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

15.80%

Max: 62.84%
Q3: 28.05%
HLI: 15.80%
Median: 15.36%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -28.52%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

40.31%

Max: 62.84%
MSCI: 40.31%
Q3: 28.05%
Median: 15.36%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -28.52%

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

MSCI (MSCI) at 56.41% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 24.42%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

24.42%

Max: 107.33%
Q3: 55.90%
Median: 30.09%
HLI: 24.42%
Q1: 14.60%
Min: -44.34%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

56.41%

Max: 107.33%
MSCI: 56.41%
Q3: 55.90%
Median: 30.09%
Q1: 14.60%
Min: -44.34%

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
ROE (TTM)	17.29%	--
ROA (TTM)	10.38%	21.75%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.80%	40.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)	24.42%	56.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 9.55% and MSCI (MSCI) at 9.75% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 6.87% and MSCI (MSCI) at 11.67% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.55%	9.75%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	13.10%	11.71%
EPS Growth (YoY)	6.87%	11.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	16.05%	13.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Houlihan Lokey (HLI) in Financial Services and MSCI (MSCI) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Houlihan Lokey (HLI) in Financial Services and MSCI (MSCI) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 1.77% and MSCI (MSCI) at 1.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

1.77%

Max: 9.77%
Q3: 3.92%
HLI: 1.77%
Median: 1.09%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

1.21%

Max: 9.77%
Q3: 3.92%
MSCI: 1.21%
Median: 1.09%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 43.62% and MSCI (MSCI) at 42.04% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

43.62%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
HLI: 43.62%
Median: 25.77%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

42.04%

Max: 241.07%
Q3: 97.36%
MSCI: 42.04%
Median: 25.77%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	1.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	43.62%	42.04%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 24.47 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while MSCI (MSCI) at 33.90 sits in the richer quartile — MSCI needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

24.47

Max: 45.85
Q3: 24.64
HLI: 24.47
Median: 15.37
Q1: 9.68
Min: 0.16

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

33.90

Max: 45.85
MSCI: 33.90
Q3: 24.64
Median: 15.37
Q1: 9.68
Min: 0.16

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 3.96 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while MSCI (MSCI) at 13.58 clears its benchmark range — MSCI looks notably rich on sales.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

3.96

Max: 9.23
Q3: 4.57
HLI: 3.96
Median: 2.72
Q1: 1.28
Min: -0.55

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

13.58

MSCI: 13.58
Max: 9.23
Q3: 4.57
Median: 2.72
Q1: 1.28
Min: -0.55

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

MSCI (MSCI) reports a negative P/B ratio of -15.24, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Houlihan Lokey (HLI) reports 4.39, ranking against industry peers normally.

HLI

Financial Services industry group

4.39

Max: 7.79
HLI: 4.39
Q3: 3.63
Median: 1.57
Q1: 0.81
Min: -0.39

MSCI

Financial Services industry group

-15.24

Max: 7.79
Q3: 3.63
Median: 1.57
Q1: 0.81
Min: -0.39
MSCI: -15.24

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. MSCI (MSCI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and MSCI (MSCI)
Metric	HLI	MSCI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	24.47	33.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.96	13.58
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.39	-15.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	--