Which is better, CRF or HLNE?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Hamilton Lane Incorporated (HLNE) currently grades higher than CRF — 76/100 (C grade) vs 30/100 (F). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — CRF wins on none; HLNE wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy CRF or HLNE?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both CRF and HLNE are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is CRF better than HLNE for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, HLNE currently grades higher — 76/100 vs 30/100, a 46-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between CRF and HLNE on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). CRF currently scores 30/100 (F grade); HLNE scores 76/100 (C grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, CRF or HLNE?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. CRF and HLNE are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, CRF or HLNE?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are CRF and HLNE both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (CRF) and Hamilton Lane Incorporated (HLNE) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this CRF vs HLNE comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Cornerstone Total Return Fund

Hamilton Lane

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

CRF

Market cap

$856.23M

Sector

Financials

HLNE

Hamilton Lane

Market cap

$5.02B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

Hamilton Lane HLNE

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	CRF	HLNE	Winner
Warren Buffett	30F	76C	HLNE
Benjamin Graham	19F	65B	HLNE
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CRF	HLNE
Market cap	$856.23M	$5.02B
P/E (TTM)	7.2x	14.1x
EV/EBIT	5.3x	15.7x
ROIC (TTM)	15.46%	14.52%
Gross margin	71.82%	69.23%
Net margin	1.68%	30.59%
Revenue CAGR 5y	-2.31%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CRF leads on

Debt / Equity-vs 0.4x+100%
Dividend yield19.24%vs 2.44%+87%
Net margin1.68%vs 30.59%+82%
EV/EBIT5.3xvs 15.7x

More like CRF

CRF vs MA CRF vs SLDE CRF vs KNSL CRF vs SPGI CRF vs EVR CRF vs MCO

More like HLNE

HLNE vs MA

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.