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HLI vs. PAYP: Houlihan Lokey vs. PayPay Stock Comparison

How do Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP) 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 PayPay (PAYP) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but HLI is classified in Capital Markets while PAYP is classified in Financial Services.

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) has been public since August 13, 2015 with a meaningfully longer listed history, while PayPay (PAYP) only listed on March 12, 2026 — long-window metrics on the PAYP side should be interpreted with caution.

Houlihan Lokey (HLI) trades as ordinary local shares, while PayPay (PAYP) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
Profile ItemHLIPAYP
NameHoulihan Lokey, Inc.PayPay Corp ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesJapan
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryCapital MarketsFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryInvestment Banking & BrokerageTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization10.13 billion USD10.10 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateAugust 13, 2015March 12, 2026
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HLI
PAYP
GSPC
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP), 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 PayPay (PAYP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Total Return (1Y)-16.23%--
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.13%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)6.74%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HLI
PAYP
GSPC
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP), 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 PayPay (PAYP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.00%73.49%
Beta (5Y)0.870.24
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.30%-49.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)816.85K659.95K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both HLI and PAYP need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.66--
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.91--

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 17.29% and PayPay (PAYP) at 18.80% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

18.80%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
PAYP
18.80%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 15.80% and PayPay (PAYP) at 15.85% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

15.85%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
PAYP
15.85%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 24.42% and PayPay (PAYP) at 32.79% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

32.79%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
PAYP
32.79%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
ROE (TTM)17.29%18.80%
ROA (TTM)10.38%1.34%
Net Margin (TTM)15.80%15.85%
Operating Margin (TTM)24.42%32.79%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 9.55% and PayPay (PAYP) at 25.85% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

PayPay (PAYP) at 230.06% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 6.87%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Revenue Growth (YoY)9.55%25.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)13.10%23.06%
EPS Growth (YoY)6.87%230.06%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)16.05%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Houlihan Lokey (HLI) in Financial Services and PayPay (PAYP) 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 PayPay (PAYP) 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 PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PayPay (PAYP) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Houlihan Lokey (HLI) reports a yield of 1.77%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
PAYP
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

PayPay (PAYP) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Houlihan Lokey (HLI) reports a payout of 43.62%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
PAYP
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.77%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)43.62%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 24.47 and PayPay (PAYP) at 23.30 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

23.30

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
PAYP
23.30
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PayPay (PAYP) at 0.02 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 3.96 prices around its industry’s middle — PAYP costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

0.02

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
PAYP
0.02
Min
-0.55
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Houlihan Lokey (HLI) at 4.39 and PayPay (PAYP) at 3.75 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

PAYP

Financial Services industry group

3.75

Max
7.79
PAYP
3.75
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Houlihan Lokey (HLI) vs. PayPay (PAYP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Houlihan Lokey (HLI) and PayPay (PAYP)
MetricHLIPAYP
P/E Ratio (TTM)24.4723.30
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.960.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.393.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----