Research Analysts Offer Predictions for Lazard Q4 Earnings

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Lazard in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the asset manager will earn $0.40 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.62. The consensus estimate for Lazard’s current full-year earnings is $2.06 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.09. Lazard had a net margin of 8.28% and a return on equity of 42.20%.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Lazard from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lazard from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Lazard from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lazard from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lazard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.00.

Lazard Price Performance

Shares of Lazard stock opened at $54.52 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.96. Lazard has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $61.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lazard

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lazard by 10.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,250,049 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $113,357,000 after purchasing an additional 206,295 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Lazard by 2.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,948,167 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $98,149,000 after buying an additional 55,469 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lazard by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,813,553 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $91,392,000 after buying an additional 15,151 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lazard by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,772,237 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $89,285,000 after acquiring an additional 37,681 shares during the period. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lazard by 10,306.7% in the 3rd quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,235,793 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $62,259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,918 shares during the last quarter. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lazard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Lazard’s payout ratio is currently 79.68%.

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.