Q1 Earnings Estimate for Lazard Issued By Seaport Res Ptn

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lazard in a report released on Wednesday, April 9th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst J. Mitchell now expects that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $0.36 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.66. The consensus estimate for Lazard's current full-year earnings is $4.24 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Lazard's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.11 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.50 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.77 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.00 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on LAZ. Wolfe Research cut Lazard from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Lazard from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley cut Lazard from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $56.00 to $33.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lazard from $44.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Lazard from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.83.

Remove Ads

Lazard Stock Performance

Lazard stock traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.85. 949,649 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 941,495. Lazard has a 12 month low of $31.97 and a 12 month high of $61.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 1.27.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.09. Lazard had a return on equity of 44.58% and a net margin of 8.98%.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.58%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Lazard's payout ratio is 75.19%.

Insider Transactions at Lazard

In related news, CEO Peter Richard Orszag sold 64,539 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.56, for a total transaction of $2,940,396.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 170,285 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,758,184.60. This represents a 27.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Evan L. Russo sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.32, for a total transaction of $1,383,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163,448 shares in the company, valued at $9,041,943.36. The trade was a 13.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 189,078 shares of company stock valued at $9,120,541 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Lazard by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 26,169 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,347,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lazard by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 9,790 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Lazard by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 48,129 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,478,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its holdings in Lazard by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 18,981 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $977,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Lazard by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 977 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lazard Company Profile

Lazard, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a financial advisory and asset management firm in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. It operates in two segments, Financial Advisory and Asset Management. The Financial Advisory segment offers financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, shareholder, sovereign, geopolitical advisory, and other strategic advisory services, as well as restructuring and liability management, and capital raising and placement services.