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HLIHoulihan Lokey, Inc.

Options Analysis Report•INVESTMENT ADVICE
Market Cap $9.3B|NYSE
● 2026-08-31$133.02
NEUTRAL
Analysis: 2026-08-28 EOD data
1Y -32.2%YTD -24.6%7D +3.2%
8
30D
±9.4%
9%

HLI Options Overview

bullish flow. No clear edge detected.

REWARDS

RISK ANALYSIS

4.1VALUESENTIMENTACTIVITYLIQUIDITYTIMING

Snowflake Analysis

Balanced conditions with no clear edge

Learn
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HLI Gamma Walls

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Value

Is IV priced right?

5.4
ExpensiveCheap

Measures whether options are cheap, fair, or rich relative to historical and peer

levels.

Risk Checks4/9 checks passed
≤35%

IV Rank 51.5% — elevated vs history

<1.05x

IV/HV 0.88x — IV ≤ HV

Sector Relative≤50%

Sector percentile 71% — above sector median

<1.1x

Front/Back 0.97x — contango

<1.25x

Put/Call IV 1.16x — elevated

<80%

ATM IV 33.0% — normal range

<80%

Effective IV 105.4% (ATM 33.0% + spread 36.2% + bias) — expensive

<3.0%

Total drag 42.76% (spread 36.18% + slippage 6.58%) — high friction

≥5.0

Vega efficiency 3.44 (vega 12.441 / spread 36.18%) — spread drag

Sentiment

Bullish or bearish?

4.4
BearishBullish

Analyzes

,
, and flow direction to determine market bias.

Risk ChecksNeutral - Weak signal (Conviction: -0%, Raw: +14%)
|net sentiment| ≥25%

Conviction-weighted: -0% (neutral) — Raw: +14%

≥15%

|OI skew| 61.1% — call-heavy

Same sign, |vol skew| ≥10%

Vol skew -25.0%, OI skew +61.1% — divergent (opposite)

≥2/3 conditions

0-DTE 0%, far-OTM 15%, avg DTE 30

|change| ≥3%

OI change +0.0% (5d) — stable

|weighted flow| ≥20%

ITM: +0%, ATM: +0%, OTM: +20% — neutral (ITM/ATM divergent)

Sector Relative≤40% or ≥60%

Sector P/C percentile 92% — very bearish vs sector

Activity

Unusual activity?

2.6
QuietActive

Detects volume surges,

, and unusual options activity that may signal moves.

Risk Checks1/8 checks passed
≥1.5x

Volume 0.5x avg — normal

≥15%

Vol/OI 1.2% — normal turnover

≥2 days

1 day(s) elevated — may be one-day event

≥5%

OI change +17.3% (5d) — building

Sector Relative≥60%

Sector activity percentile 35% — below sector avg

≥30%

Large trade volume 0% — mostly retail

≥60%

Aggressive execution 0% — patient

≥30

Conviction -0 (bearish) — mixed

Liquidity

Can I trade efficiently?

1.9
IlliquidLiquid

Evaluates

, volume depth, and open interest for trade execution quality.

Risk Checks0/8 checks passed
≤5.0%

Spread 36.2% — wide

≥10,000

OI 643 — thin

≥500

Volume 8/day — thin

≤$0.50

$1.81 to cross — expensive

≥5 strikes

0 liquid strikes — limited options

Sector Relative≤40%

Sector spread percentile 78% — wider than sector

≥100 contracts

Depth 17.3 contracts (bid:8.8 ask:8.5) — thin

<1.0%

Avg slippage 6.58% — poor

Timing

Is now a good time?

6.2
RiskyFavorable

Considers earnings proximity,

, and event calendar for optimal entry timing.

Risk Checks4/9 checks passed
|slope| ≥5%

Slope -3.2% — flat/unclear

<30 or >70

IV percentile 52% — neutral

≥10pts kink

IV kink -0.8pts — no clear event

<0.5 or >2.0

θ/ν ratio 142.02 — favors income trades

≥3 expirations

3 liquid expirations — flexible

≥60% (safe)

safe window: No events detected

<1.2 ratio

Spread ratio 1.00x — stable

≥25% strength + ≥50% consistency

Flow -0% @ 50% consistency — unclear

≥40 composite score

Score 30 (ITM 20% + inst 0%) — retail dominated

Directional Strategy Fit

Option Buyers
Long Calls4.6
bullishIV fair, mixed flow
Long Puts5.1
bearishIV fair, mixed flow
Premium Sellers
Cash-Secured Put4.2
bullishIV fair, mixed flow
Covered Call4.7
bearishIV fair, mixed flow

For educational purposes only. Not investment advice.

The Options Desk tracks the move options price into every US earnings report the week of Aug 31, next to how much each stock has actually moved on its past prints — plus the SPY, QQQ and IWM expected ranges and the gamma walls that box them in.

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