Zacks Research Weighs in on Lazard’s Q4 Earnings (NYSE:LAZ)

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Lazard in a research report issued on Wednesday, January 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $0.40 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.62. The consensus estimate for Lazard’s current full-year earnings is $3.90 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lazard’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.41 EPS and Q1 2026 earnings at $1.27 EPS.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.09. Lazard had a return on equity of 44.58% and a net margin of 8.98%.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on LAZ. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Lazard from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Lazard from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Lazard from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lazard from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Lazard from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.33.

Lazard Price Performance

NYSE:LAZ opened at $52.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.24. The company has a 50-day moving average of $52.57 and a 200-day moving average of $51.06. Lazard has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $61.14. The company has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 1.41.

Lazard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. Lazard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAZ. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC increased its position in Lazard by 2.5% in the 4th 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. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lazard by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 18,981 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $977,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc increased its holdings in shares of Lazard by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 27,000 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Lazard by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,413 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lazard by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 40,425 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,028,000 after buying an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. 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.