Sifting through countless of stocks in the Capital Markets industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates an electronic trading platform for institutional investor and broker-dealer firms in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers trading technology to access liquidity on its platforms in U.S. high-grade bonds, U.S. high-yield bonds, emerging market debt, eurobonds, municipal bonds, U.S. government bonds, and other fixed-income securities; and executes bond trades between and among institutional investor and broker-dealer clients in an all-to-all anonymous trading environment for corporate bonds through its Open Trading protocols. It also provides automated and algorithmic trading solutions, such as X-Pro, a trading platform to combine trading protocols with its proprietary data and pre-trade analytics; and integrated and actionable data offerings, including CP+ and Axess All, a real-time pricing engine, including Auto-X and portfolio trading. In addition, the company offers various pre-and post-trade services, such as processing, trade matching, trade publication, regulatory transaction reporting, and market and reference data across a range of fixed-income and other products. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Houlihan Lokey, Inc., an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructurings and liability management, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Corporate Finance (CF), Financial Restructuring (FR), and Financial and Valuation Advisory (FVA). The CF segment offers general financial advisory services; and advises public and private institutions, including financial sponsors on buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions, debt and equity financings in both the private and public markets, and other corporate finance transactions. The FR segment advises debtors, creditors, and other parties-in-interest related to recapitalization/deleveraging transactions. This segment also provides a range of advisory services, such as structuring, negotiation, and confirmation of plans of reorganization; structuring and analysis of exchange offers; liability management transactions; corporate viability assessment; dispute resolution and expert testimony; and procuring debtor-in-possession financing. The FVA segment provides valuation services to companies; debt and equity interests comprising illiquid investments; and other assets and liabilities. This segment also offers fairness opinions in connection with M&A and other transactions; solvency opinions in connection with corporate spin-offs and dividend recapitalizations; and other types of financial opinions, as well as provides dispute resolution services. It serves corporations, financial sponsors, and government agencies. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Latest Capital Markets and MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey, Inc. Stock News

As of March 13, 2026, MarketAxess Holdings Inc. had a $6.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Capital Markets median of $3.0 million. MarketAxess Holdings Inc.’s stock is down 0.6% in 2026, down 3.2% in the previous five trading days and down 12.96% in the past year.

Currently, MarketAxess Holdings Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 27.1. MarketAxess Holdings Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $846.3 million with a 29.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $8.159 per share for the current fiscal year. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. currently has a 1.7% dividend yield.

As of March 13, 2026, Houlihan Lokey, Inc. had a $9.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 78th percentile of all stocks. Houlihan Lokey, Inc.’s stock is down 20% in 2026, down 7.7% in the previous five trading days and down 11.07% in the past year.

Currently, Houlihan Lokey, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 21.4. Houlihan Lokey, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $2.6 billion with a 16.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.940 per share for the current fiscal year. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. currently has a 1.7% dividend yield.

How We Compare MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
MarketAxess Holdings Inc.	MKTX	B
Houlihan Lokey, Inc.	HLI	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has a Growth Score of 79, which is Strong. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a Growth Score of 84, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than MarketAxess Holdings Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Houlihan Lokey, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
MarketAxess Holdings Inc.	MKTX	A
Houlihan Lokey, Inc.	HLI	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has a Quality Score of 90, which is Very Strong. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a Quality Score of 96, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
MarketAxess Holdings Inc.	MKTX	C
Houlihan Lokey, Inc.	HLI	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 59, which is Neutral. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 55, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey or Inc. Stock?

Overall, MarketAxess Holdings Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 79, Estimate Revisions Score of 59 and Quality Score of 90.

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 84, Estimate Revisions Score of 55 and Quality Score of 96.

Comparing MarketAxess Holdings Inc., Houlihan Lokey and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.