Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Has Lowered Expectations for Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) Stock Price

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $44.00 to $42.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the asset manager’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price would indicate a potential downside of 5.56% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $44.00 price target on shares of Lazard in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lazard from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Lazard from $63.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Lazard in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on shares of Lazard from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.38.

Lazard Stock Performance

Lazard stock traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $44.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,125,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,659,624. The company has a 50-day moving average of $44.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.80. The company has a quick ratio of 3.51, a current ratio of 3.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Lazard has a fifty-two week low of $38.67 and a fifty-two week high of $58.75. The company has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 1.43.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The asset manager reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $786.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.29 million. Lazard had a return on equity of 29.30% and a net margin of 8.47%.Lazard’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lazard will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CX Institutional boosted its stake in Lazard by 10.9% in the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 83,677 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $3,509,000 after purchasing an additional 8,225 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Lazard during the 1st quarter worth about $904,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lazard in the 1st quarter valued at about $89,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Lazard by 28.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 448,446 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $19,050,000 after acquiring an additional 99,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Lazard during the first quarter worth approximately $3,392,000. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Lazard

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lazard reiterated its long-term growth plans, including a $500 million Lazard Cl 2027 revenue target and a goal of $10 million in revenue per managing director by 2028, signaling confidence in future operating leverage.
• Positive Sentiment: Management said forward indicators are beginning to translate into revenue and earnings, suggesting an improving deal environment and potential second-half momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Lazard declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, which may support investor sentiment around capital returns.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Peter Orszag said AI should lead to “leaner” deal teams with more managing directors, pointing to a potential efficiency boost but also signaling ongoing organizational change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s advisory-unit overhaul and headcount reductions, including over 80 managing director roles cut, reflect a strategic reset that could improve margins over time but also highlight near-term disruption.
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter EPS of $0.12 missed estimates by a wide margin, with profit falling 91% year over year, underscoring weak earnings quality despite better-than-expected revenue. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue in financial advisory declined, and the business remains exposed to volatility in deal activity, which is weighing on sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: News that Cresset hired a Lazard advisory duo may reinforce concerns about talent retention in a competitive advisory market. Article Title

Lazard Company Profile

Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) is a leading global financial advisory and asset management firm, offering a comprehensive suite of services to corporations, governments and individuals. Founded in 1848, Lazard has built a reputation for providing independent advice and innovative solutions in complex financial transactions. The firm is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LAZ and maintains its headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda.

In its Financial Advisory segment, Lazard assists clients with mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, capital structure optimization and strategic planning.