Brokers Set Expectations for Lazard's Q4 Earnings (NYSE:LAZ)

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Lazard in a research note issued to investors on Monday, January 13th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst J. Mitchell now forecasts that the asset manager will post earnings of $0.54 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.75. The consensus estimate for Lazard's current full-year earnings is $2.18 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Lazard's Q3 2025 earnings at $0.92 EPS.

LAZ has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Lazard from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lazard from $59.00 to $51.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Lazard from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com cut Lazard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Lazard from $57.00 to $52.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lazard has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.50.

Lazard Stock Up 5.7 %

Shares of LAZ stock traded up $2.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $49.57. 1,400,763 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,082,040. The business's fifty day moving average is $53.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 1.40. Lazard has a 12-month low of $35.56 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.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The asset manager reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $646.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $644.22 million. Lazard had a net margin of 8.28% and a return on equity of 42.20%. Lazard's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. Lazard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.68%.

Institutional Trading of Lazard

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lazard by 1,125.0% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 735 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lazard during the third quarter worth $50,000. My Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lazard in the third quarter valued at $215,000. King Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Lazard in the third quarter valued at $227,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lazard during the 3rd quarter worth $235,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.80% of the company's stock.

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.