– Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Revenues of $467 million –

– Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Diluted EPS of $0.99 –

– Adjusted Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Diluted EPS of $1.11 –

– Announces Dividend of $0.55 per Share for Third Quarter Fiscal 2024 –

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK - October 26, 2023 - Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) (“Houlihan Lokey” or the “Company”) today reported financial results for its second quarter ended September 30, 2023.

For the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, revenues were $467 million, compared with $490 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Net income was $67 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $61 million, or $0.87 per diluted share, for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Adjusted net income for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023 was $77 million, or $1.11 per diluted share, compared with $83 million, or $1.19 per diluted share, for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022.

“We finished our second fiscal quarter with better results than our prior quarter. We continue to see improvements in the availability of debt capital and confidence in the earnings outlook for our clients, all of which bodes well for a steady recovery of the M&A markets. However, the recent geopolitical crises may impact our cautious optimism. Regardless, we believe we are well positioned to handle most economic environments, and we will continue to invest in professionals, acquisitions, industries and geographies where we believe we can create long term shareholder value,” stated Scott Beiser, Chief Executive Officer of Houlihan Lokey.

For the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, revenues were $467 million, compared with $490 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Revenues decreased primarily as a result of a decrease in the average transaction fee on closed transactions in our Corporate Finance (“CF”) business. For the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, CF revenues decreased (11)%, Financial Restructuring (“FR”) revenues increased 17%, and Financial and Valuation Advisory (“FVA”) revenues decreased (8)%, in each case, when compared with the second quarter ended September 30, 2022.

The Company’s employee compensation and benefits expenses, non-compensation expenses, and provision for income taxes during the periods presented and described below are on a GAAP and an adjusted basis.

(1)Calculated using the average of the number of full time employees at the beginning of the reporting period and the end of the reporting period.

(1)Calculated using the average of the number of full time employees at the beginning of the reporting period and the end of the reporting period.

Employee compensation and benefits expenses were $297 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $310 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Adjusted employee compensation and benefits expenses were $287 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $301 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. This resulted in an adjusted compensation ratio of 61.5% for both the second quarter ended September 30, 2023 and the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in GAAP and adjusted employee compensation and benefits expenses was a result of a decrease in revenues for the quarter when compared with the same quarter last year.

Non-compensation expenses were $80 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $90 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in GAAP non-compensation expenses was primarily a result of a decrease in depreciation and amortization and a decrease in other operating expenses for the quarter when compared with the same quarter last year. Adjusted non-compensation expenses were $75 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $72 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. The increase in adjusted non-compensation expenses was primarily a result of an increase in rent expense.

The provision for income taxes was $27 million, representing an effective tax rate of 28.4% for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $24 million, representing an effective tax rate of 27.9% for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. The adjusted provision for income taxes was $30 million, representing an adjusted effective tax rate of 28.4% for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $32 million, representing an adjusted effective tax rate of 27.9% for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022.

CF revenues were $282 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $315 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022, representing a decrease of (11)%. Revenues decreased due to a decrease in the average transaction fee on closed transactions, which was driven by transaction mix, and did not represent a trend in the average transaction fee on closed transactions.

FR revenues increased 17% to $115 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $98 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Revenues increased primarily due to an increase in the number of closed transactions during the quarter, which was driven by favorable market conditions for restructuring transactions.

FVA revenues decreased (8)% to $71 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023, compared with $77 million for the second quarter ended September 30, 2022. Revenues decreased primarily due to a decrease in the number of Fee Events. The decrease in the number of Fee Events was driven by softness in the M&A markets, which affected one or more of the service lines within our FVA business.

(1)A Fee Event includes any engagement that involves revenue activity during the measurement period based on a revenue minimum of one thousand dollars. References in this press release to closed transactions should be understood to be the same as transactions that are “effectively closed” as described in our periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

The Board of Directors of the Company declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.55 per share of Class A and Class B common stock. The dividend will be payable on December 15, 2023 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 1, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, the Company had $525 million of cash and cash equivalents and investment securities, and $31 million of other liabilities.

The Company will host a conference call and live webcast at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 26, 2023, to discuss its second quarter fiscal 2024 results. The number to call is 1-877-407-4018 (domestic) or 1-201-689-8471 (international). A live webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website. A replay of the conference call will be available from October 26, 2023 through November 2, 2023, by dialing 1-844-512-2921 (domestic) or 1-412-317-6671 (international) and entering the passcode 13741798. A replay of the webcast will be archived and available on the Company’s website.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can identify these statements by our use of the words “assumes,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “guidance,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” and similar expressions that do not relate to historical matters. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company’s control and could materially affect actual results, performance, or achievements. For a further description of such factors, you should read the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Adjusted net income, total and on a per share basis, and certain adjusted items used to determine adjusted net income, are presented and discussed in this earnings press release and are non-GAAP measures that management believes, when presented together with comparable GAAP measures, are useful to investors in understanding the Company’s operating results. These adjusted items remove the significant accounting impact of one-time or non-recurring charges associated with the Company’s one-time/non-recurring matters, as set forth in the tables at the end of this release.

The adjusted items included in this earnings press release as calculated by the Company are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Additionally, these adjusted amounts are not a measurement of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to the Company’s financial information determined under GAAP. For a description of the Company’s use of these adjusted items and a reconciliation with comparable GAAP items, see the section of this press release titled “Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Financial Information.” Please refer to our financial statements, prepared in accordance with GAAP, for purposes of evaluating our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. Houlihan Lokey serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of the firm’s commitment to client success across its advisory services. The firm is the No. 1 investment bank for global M&A transactions under $1 billion, the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past eight consecutive years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past nine consecutive years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 25 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by Refinitiv.

For more information, please visit www.HL.com.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)

Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Financial Information (Unaudited)

(1)The aggregate of adjustments from employee compensation and benefits and non-compensation expenses.

(2)Reflects the tax impact of utilizing the adjusted effective tax rate on the non-tax adjustments identified above.

(3)Consists of all adjustments identified above net of the associated tax impact.