Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Morgan Stanley

by · The Markets Daily

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ – Free Report) had its price target cut by Morgan Stanley from $41.00 to $40.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the asset manager’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on LAZ. Capital One Financial set a $38.00 price objective on Lazard in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Lazard in a report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Lazard from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Lazard from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Lazard from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.50.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Lazard

Lazard Trading Up 0.1%

Lazard stock opened at $37.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 2.84. The company has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.47. Lazard has a one year low of $34.13 and a one year high of $58.75. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $39.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.94.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The asset manager reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.06). Lazard had a net margin of 5.55% and a return on equity of 20.76%. The company had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $844.23 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.56 earnings per share. Lazard’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Lazard will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. Lazard’s payout ratio is currently 121.21%.

Insider Activity at Lazard

In other news, CEO Peter Orszag sold 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.52, for a total transaction of $5,440,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 260,942 shares in the company, valued at $11,356,195.84. The trade was a 32.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Lazard during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Lazard in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Lazard in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Lazard by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Lazard in the 2nd quarter worth $87,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.80% of the company’s stock.

Lazard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Lazard plans to complete the closure of Campbell Lutyens in early November and expects the combined business to generate approximately $500 million of revenue in 2027. The transaction could strengthen Lazard’s private-capital and fundraising capabilities, although execution and integration remain important. Campbell Lutyens transaction
  • Positive Sentiment: Lazard declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, equivalent to $2.00 annually and a yield of roughly 5.3% based on the cited share price. The dividend is payable November 13 to shareholders of record November 2. Lazard quarterly results and dividend
  • Neutral Sentiment: Management said forward indicators were “really positive,” offering some support for a recovery in deal activity and future revenue. However, investors appear focused on whether that pipeline can translate into stronger near-term profitability. Lazard CEO comments
  • Neutral Sentiment: Reports on changes to two key leadership roles add a governance and execution consideration for investors, though the immediate financial impact is unclear. Leadership changes
  • Neutral Sentiment: Lazard Global Total Return and Income Fund (NYSE: LGI), a separate closed-end fund, announced a $0.15340 monthly distribution payable November 24. This does not directly represent a dividend change for Lazard, Inc. (LAZ). LGI monthly distribution
  • Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.36, below the $0.42 consensus estimate, while adjusted revenue of $805 million missed expectations of approximately $844 million. EPS also fell from $0.56 a year earlier, deepening concerns about margin pressure and limited deal pull-forwards. Third-quarter earnings release
  • Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target from $41 to $40 and maintained an “underweight” rating, signaling limited confidence in Lazard’s near-term earnings outlook despite the target remaining above the cited share price.

About Lazard

(Get Free Report)

Lazard, Ltd. is a global financial advisory and asset management firm that serves corporations, financial institutions, governments, sovereign entities and individuals. Its Financial Advisory business provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, capital structure, restructuring, capital raising and other complex financial transactions.

Through its Asset Management business, Lazard offers investment strategies across equities, fixed income, private markets, alternatives and multi-asset portfolios.

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