Analysts Set Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Price Target at $71.83

Shares of Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.83.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Moelis & Company from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $92.00 price target (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Moelis & Company from $86.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Moelis & Company Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE MC opened at $58.37 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $69.78 and its 200 day moving average is $71.44. Moelis & Company has a 52 week low of $46.24 and a 52 week high of $82.89. The company has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.17 and a beta of 1.43.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.79. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 11.39% and a return on equity of 38.49%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Moelis & Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Moelis & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 147.73%.

Insider Activity

In other Moelis & Company news, insider Christopher Callesano sold 1,282 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $94,868.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,227 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,798. This trade represents a 51.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kenneth Moelis sold 9,712 shares of Moelis & Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $718,688.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 209,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,483,390. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,721 shares of company stock worth $1,677,017. Insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 154,342 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $11,403,000 after buying an additional 10,601 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Moelis & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,037,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 62.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,960 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 7,697 shares during the last quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 76,526 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,654,000 after acquiring an additional 6,511 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 175,795 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $12,988,000 after purchasing an additional 30,592 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

Moelis & Company Company Profile

Moelis & Co operates as a holding company. It engages in the provision of financial advisory, capital raising and asset management services to a client base including corporations, governments, sovereign wealth funds and financial sponsors. The firm focuses on clients including large public multinational corporations, middle market private companies, financial sponsors, entrepreneurs and governments.