HL CF Best Groups

What are the best industry coverage groups at Houlihan Lokey? Non-restructuring.

Is LA or NYC known for any specific groups? And would one be crazy to accept an offer at HL CF over a BB if they really like the people there?

11 Comments
 

industrials is one known to be great, UBS/WF over HL might make sense but an RBC or DB would be a tougher decision.

 

Houlihan SF (TMT) is very weak, and I'm sure anyone who works out here in the Bay Area would agree.

 
Most Helpful

Business Services. And ADG to an extent (longer hours tho and not at the level of the DC office... mor elike it's not the focus in LA). And Industrials too.

You would not be crazy at all, you'd be making an excellent and mature decision. Combined with the lower volatility of HL (FRG balances w/CF across cycles from a firm perspective) vs. joining a BB right now, I'd say hats off to you for thinking beyond your years (I'm presuming you're a sophomore/junior in undergrad).*

*although the particular BB in question also affects this question to an extent

 

During start of covid (~March 2020), there was a thread of HL CF people getting laid off without any notices and it sounded pretty unprofessional on HL's side considering their presentation at different schools has been focused on the RX group bringing in stability during what is bad time for most banks. If they had waited two months, the deal flow would have again been through the roof, so idk if I trust the lower volatility of HL as CF people get worked to the bone on high volume deals and then thrown off during bad times based on that example.

As someone who interned with them in the LA office though, I definitely enjoyed my time more at HL than I am now working FT at the current BB. The IT team was always on top of things (compliance requirements were also more lax and laptops were better), graphics team was faster, people weren't as formal as are at my BB (might also be LA vs current location), my mentor was helpful, smaller team added to the camaraderie, responsibilities were much more, and overall HL was a more pleasant experience than big banks will ever be. If PE wasn't my LT goal, I might have preferred to stay at HL CF.

 

For London; Tech, BS and Healthcare are strong. Hard working culture, but growing massively at the moment in the LMM/MM space. Huge deal volume and recruiting heavily.

 

Ut debitis molestiae repellat veniam ad quasi. Laudantium beatae asperiores accusantium totam quas. Sequi nihil assumenda ipsum in. Aut aliquam ab a accusantium ut. Praesentium et blanditiis error autem aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 11 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”