Houlihan Lokey Raises Quarterly Dividend to 70 Cents

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. raised its quarterly dividend to 70 cents a share from 60 cents, a 16.67% increase, according to locked dividend data for the event. The ex-dividend date was June 1, 2026.

The new payout implies an annual dividend of $2.80 a share. Based on the locked share price of $141.04, the forward annual yield is 1.99%. The increase marks Houlihan Lokey’s 10th consecutive year of dividend growth.

Business Context

Houlihan Lokey is a financial-services company best known for investment-banking advisory work, including mergers and acquisitions, capital solutions, restructuring, fairness opinions, and valuation advisory. Business Insider described the Los Angeles-based firm as one of Wall Street’s most active dealmakers by volume, with a particular niche in middle-market transactions: https://www.businessinsider.com/houlihan-lokey-wall-street-advisor-2025-10

The dividend increase follows a period in which Houlihan Lokey’s advisory businesses benefited from stronger corporate-finance activity. Financial News reported that the firm posted record annual revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, helped by growth in corporate finance that offset softer restructuring activity: https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/houlihan-lokey-dealmaking-fees-hit-record-2-6bn-despite-middle-east-led-pause-d473ca21

The company has also continued to expand internationally. Financial News reported earlier in 2026 that Houlihan Lokey took a controlling stake in Audere Partners and acquired a real-estate capital advisory business from Mellum Capital, moves aimed at strengthening its European capabilities: https://www.fnlondon.com/articles/houlihan-lokey-strikes-two-more-deals-in-european-expansion-aea968da

That backdrop is relevant for dividend investors because advisory firms can be cyclical: revenue may rise when deal activity is healthy and weaken when mergers, financing, or restructuring volumes slow. Houlihan Lokey’s mix of corporate-finance, restructuring, and valuation work gives it several revenue channels, but the business remains tied to capital-markets and transaction conditions.

What It Means for Income Investors

For income investors, the increase lifts the quarterly cash payout and continues a 10-year record of annual dividend growth. The forward yield of 1.99% is not unusually high for an income-focused portfolio, but the raise is a sign that management and the board were willing to return more cash to shareholders after recent operating momentum.

SmarterDividends assigns Houlihan Lokey a dividend safety score of 88 out of 100, or an A grade, based on the locked data. The company’s market capitalization is $9,740,135,424. As always, the durability of future dividend growth will depend on earnings, cash generation, capital needs, and the health of the advisory market.