Company: HLI
Filing Date: 2025-02-04
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001302215-25-000007
Chunk: 35

Company: HOULIHAN LOKEY, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-02-04
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 1
Chunk 35
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 management transactions; corporate viability assessment; dispute resolution and expert testimony; and procuring debtor-in-possession financing. Although atypical, FR transactions can fail to be completed for many reasons that are outside of our control. In these instances, our fees are generally limited to the Retainer Fees and/or Progress Fees.  

FVA primarily provides financial advisory and valuation services with respect to companies, debt and equity interests (including complex illiquid investments), and other types of assets and liabilities; fairness opinions in connection with mergers and acquisitions and other transactions, solvency opinions in connection with corporate spin-offs and dividend recapitalizations, and other types of financial opinions in connection with other transactions; as well as diligence, tax, transaction accounting, and other financial advisory services to companies, boards of directors, special committees, retained counsel, financial and strategic investors, trustees, and other parties. Also, our FVA business segment provides dispute resolution services to clients where fees are usually based on the hourly rates of our financial professionals. Unlike our CF or FR segments, the fees generated in our FVA segment are generally not contingent on the successful completion of a transaction. 

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Table of Contents

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses are classified as employee compensation and benefits expense and non-compensation expense; revenue and headcount are the primary drivers of our operating expenses. Reimbursements of certain out-of-pocket deal expenses are recorded on a gross basis and are therefore included in both Revenues and Operating expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense. Our employee compensation and benefits expense, which accounts for the majority of our operating expenses, is determined by management based on revenues earned, headcount, the competitiveness of the prevailing labor market, and anticipated compensation expectations of our employees. These factors may fluctuate, and as a result, our employee compensation and benefits expense may fluctuate materially in any particular period. Accordingly, the amount of employee compensation and benefits expense recognized in any particular period may not be consistent with prior periods or indicative of future periods.

Our employee compensation and benefits expense consists of base salary, payroll taxes, benefits, annual incentive compensation payable as cash bonus awards, deferred cash bonus awards, and the amortization of equity-based bonus awards. Base salary and benefits are paid ratably throughout the year. Our annual equity-based bonus awards include fixed share compensation awards and liability classified fixed dollar awards as a component of the annual bonus awards for certain employees. These equity awards are generally subject to annual vesting requirements over a four-year period beginning at