Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $104.40 Million Stock Position in Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. $MFG

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) by 16.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 18,777,631 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,590,313 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Mizuho Financial Group were worth $104,403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 166.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,499 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Mizuho Financial Group in the first quarter valued at $42,000. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Mizuho Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $59,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,343 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $63,000. Institutional investors own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Mizuho Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of MFG opened at $7.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.73 and a 200-day moving average of $6.29. The company has a market cap of $91.91 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.35. Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. has a one year low of $4.04 and a one year high of $7.39.

Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 28th. The bank reported ($1.61) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $7.53 billion for the quarter. Mizuho Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 11.57%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MFG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Mizuho Financial Group in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research lowered Mizuho Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Mizuho Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

About Mizuho Financial Group

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in banking, trust, securities, and other businesses related to financial services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Retail & Business Banking Company, Corporate & Institutional Company, Global Corporate Company, Global Markets Company, Asset Management Company, and Others segments.