Company: HLI
Filing Date: 2025-05-15
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001302215-25-000024
Chunk: 28

Company: HOULIHAN LOKEY, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-05-15
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 28
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 of Contents

A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from advisory engagements in our CF and FR business segments, where a substantial portion of our fees tend to be contingent on the occurrence of goals, such as the completion of a transaction. As a result, our revenue and profits are highly volatile on a quarterly basis and may cause the price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate and decline. 

Revenue and profits derived from our CF and FR business segments can be highly volatile. We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from advisory fees, which are mainly generated at key milestones, such as the closing of a transaction, the timing of which is outside of our control. In many cases, for advisory engagements that do not result in the successful consummation of a transaction, we are not paid a fee other than the reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses and, in some cases, a modest retainer, despite having devoted considerable resources to these transactions. The achievement of these contractually-defined goals is often impacted by factors outside of our control, such as market conditions and the decisions and actions of our clients and interested third parties. For example, a client could delay or terminate an acquisition transaction because of a failure to agree upon final terms with the counterparty, failure to obtain necessary regulatory consents or board or shareholder approvals, failure to secure necessary financing, adverse market conditions or because the target's business is experiencing unexpected financial problems. Anticipated bidders for client assets during a restructuring transaction may not materialize or our client may not be able to restructure its operations or indebtedness due to a failure to reach agreement with its principal creditors. Because fees in such engagements are typically contingent, revenue on such engagements, which is recognized when all revenue recognition criteria are met, is not certain and the timing of receipt is difficult to predict and may not occur evenly throughout the year.

We expect that we will continue to rely on advisory fees, including fees based upon goals, such as the completion of a transaction, for a substantial portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, a decline in our advisory engagements or the market for advisory services would adversely affect our business. In addition, our financial results will likely fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on when fees are earned, and high levels of revenue in one quarter will not necessarily be predictive of continued high levels of revenue in future periods. Should these contingent fee arrangements represent a greater percentage of our business in the future, we may experience increased volatility in our working capital requirements and greater variations in our quarter-to-quarter results