Swing Trading Plan
Holding Period
2-8 trading days
Expected figures are probability-weighted from our historical pattern database; Trade R:R is measured from the entry, target and stop levels.
Current Setup
HLI is forming a post-collapse recovery pattern after declining 34.56% from its 52-week high. The setup shows moderate structure quality (13.0/15) with the stock trading at $131.31, positioned between key support at $121.89 and resistance at $141.08. Volume scoring of 10.8/12 indicates reasonable accumulation, though current volume (503k shares) trails the 20-day average by 31%, suggesting buyers are building positions selectively. RSI at 53.1 shows neutral momentum, while MACD histogram remains positive at 0.52, supporting the recovery thesis.
Stock Context
Houlihan Lokey, a major independent investment bank and financial advisory firm, operates in a sector experiencing consolidation and digital transformation pressures. The Finance sector shows a bullish regime (0.64 score), supporting recovery patterns in quality financial services firms. HLI's three-month decline of -6.55% reflects broader headwinds in investment banking advisory fees and M&A activity slowdowns that affected the sector through 2026. However, the recent one-month gain of 3.0% and one-week gain of 1.36% suggest institutional interest returning as valuations compressed. The firm's valuation relative to peers and dividend profile typically attract value-focused investors during recovery phases.
What to Expect
A successful breakout would occur above the $141.08 resistance level, with the conservative target projecting $138.33—a 5.3% move from current price. The inverse head-and-shoulders pattern formed in July (61 days in structure, pattern quality 29.0) and the rounding bottom from February (180-day base, quality 30.0) provide layered support for mean reversion. Volume confirmation is critical: breakout above resistance requires sustained volume above the 724k share 20-day average. The invalidation level sits at $121.89 support; a breakdown below this price would negate the recovery setup. Win probability of 65.83% reflects moderate confidence given the multi-month consolidation base.
Risk Factors
Volume remains a material weakness—current volume at 0.69x relative volume and 0.7x volume ratio signals hesitant institutional participation, suggesting breakout follow-through may be challenged. HLI's beta of 1.0 paired with 20-day volatility of 32.51% indicates it trades in line with market swings without amplification, limiting explosive upside if broader equity momentum falters. Investment banking cyclicality poses risk: weakening M&A pipelines or recession concerns could reignite selling pressure. The stock remains 34.56% below its 52-week high, indicating overhang from earlier buyers seeking exits. No overbought technical extremes exist (RSI 53.1 is neutral), but lack of strong breakout momentum in the breakout score (9.87/13) flags that the pattern may face resistance above $141.08.
How We Find and Score This Setup
We scan more than 6,000 NYSE and NASDAQ stocks every trading day and compare each detected pattern against a database of 370,000+ historical detections. Every setup is scored across three dimensions: Structure, Volume, and Breakout Readiness. Win probability is a calibrated estimate of how similar historical setups performed over the following 10 trading days. This is a swing trading tool built for multi-day holds. It is not built or tested for day trading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HLI a good swing trade?
HLI scored 67 out of 98 on our post collapse recovery scan, with a 66% historical win probability over a 2-8 trading days hold. Moderate setup based on our systematic scoring.
What is the entry, target, and stop loss for this setup?
The setup's reference price is $131.31, with a conservative target of $138.33 and a stop loss at $119.70.
What would invalidate this post collapse recovery setup?
A close below the stop loss at $119.70 would invalidate the setup and suggest the pattern has failed.
How is the win probability calculated?
Win probability is a calibrated estimate of how similar historical post collapse recovery setups performed over the following 10 trading days, drawn from a database of 370,000+ historical pattern detections across 6,000+ NYSE and NASDAQ stocks.
Market & Sector Regime
Market
Bullish
0.64
-1.0
0
+1.0
Finance Sector
Bullish
0.64
-1.0
0
+1.0
Other Patterns Detected Today
Inverse Head And Shoulders
61 days in pattern
Moderate
29.0
Rounding Bottom
180 days in pattern
Good
30.0
Bull Flag
57 days in pattern
Moderate
27.0