SFB vs SF vs RJF vs LPLA vs HLI

For growth investors, LPL Financial Holdings Inc.

(LPLA) is the stronger pick with 37. 2% revenue growth year-over-year, versus 6. 7% for Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB). Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB) offers the better valuation at 3. 5x trailing P/E (3. 1x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Stifel Financial Corp. (SF) a "Buy" — based on 22 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.

On trailing P/E, Stifel Financial Corporation 5.

20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB) is the cheapest at 3. 5x versus LPL Financial Holdings Inc. at 28. 4x. On forward P/E, Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 is actually cheaper at 3. 1x. The PEG ratio (P/E divided by earnings growth rate) is the most growth-adjusted single valuation metric: Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 wins at 0. 44x versus Stifel Financial Corp. 's 1. 69x — a PEG below 1. 0 traditionally signals the market is underpricing earnings growth.

Over the past 5 years, Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

(HLI) delivered a total return of +141. 5%, compared to +2. 0% for Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LPLA returned +1241% versus SFB's +25. 9%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.

By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Stifel Financial Corporation 5.

20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB) is the lower-risk stock at 0. 66β versus Stifel Financial Corp. 's 1. 23β — meaning SF is approximately 87% more volatile than SFB relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (HLI) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 20% versus 136% for LPL Financial Holdings Inc. — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.

By revenue growth (latest reported year), LPL Financial Holdings Inc.

(LPLA) is pulling ahead at 37. 2% versus 6. 7% for Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB). On earnings-per-share growth, the picture is similar: Houlihan Lokey, Inc. grew EPS 41. 6% year-over-year, compared to -22. 2% for LPL Financial Holdings Inc.. Higher growth typically commands a higher valuation multiple — check whether the premium P/E or P/S is justified by the growth rate using the PEG ratio.

Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

(HLI) is the more profitable company, earning 16. 7% net margin versus 5. 1% for LPL Financial Holdings Inc. — meaning it keeps 16. 7% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: RJF leads at 28. 7% versus 13. 4% for LPLA. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — RJF leads at 88. 2%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.

The PEG ratio (forward P/E divided by expected earnings growth rate) is the most precise measure of undervaluation relative to growth potential.

By this metric, Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB) is the more undervalued stock at a PEG of 0. 44x versus Stifel Financial Corp. 's 1. 69x. A PEG below 1. 0 is traditionally considered the threshold for growth-adjusted undervaluation. On forward earnings alone, Stifel Financial Corporation 5. 20% Senior Notes due 2047 (SFB) trades at 3. 1x forward P/E versus 19. 9x for Houlihan Lokey, Inc. — 16. 8x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for LPLA: 42. 4% to $441. 00.

In this comparison, SF (2.

5% yield), HLI (1. 6% yield), RJF (1. 3% yield), LPLA (0. 4% yield) pay a dividend. SFB does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.

For long-horizon retirement investors, Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

(HLI) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0. 94), 1. 6% yield, +603. 4% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (HLI: +603. 4%, SFB: +25. 9%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.

Both stocks operate in the Financial Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both.

In terms of investment character: SFB is a small-cap deep-value stock; SF is a mid-cap deep-value stock; RJF is a mid-cap deep-value stock; LPLA is a mid-cap high-growth stock; HLI is a mid-cap high-growth stock. SF, RJF, HLI pay a dividend while SFB, LPLA do not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.