Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Receives $59.83 Average Target Price from Analysts

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.83.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $92.00 price target (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Moelis & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Moelis & Company from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $42.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Moelis & Company from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Moelis & Company Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Moelis & Company stock opened at $60.16 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $55.68 and its 200-day moving average is $67.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18 and a beta of 1.66. Moelis & Company has a 12-month low of $47.00 and a 12-month high of $82.89.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The asset manager reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.07. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 38.49% and a net margin of 11.39%. The company had revenue of $306.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $309.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.22 earnings per share. Moelis & Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 41.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.27%.

Insider Transactions at Moelis & Company

In related news, Director Kenneth Shropshire sold 2,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.30, for a total transaction of $184,437.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $501,762. The trade was a 26.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 6.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Moelis & Company by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 398 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Moelis & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Moelis & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Moelis & Company by 1,551.3% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 644 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Moelis & Company by 1,460.8% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 796 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.