Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for Lazard Earnings

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Lazard in a note issued to investors on Thursday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $0.91 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.82. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Lazard’s current full-year earnings is $4.24 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lazard’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.04 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.68 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.38 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.26 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on LAZ. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Lazard from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Lazard from $47.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $46.00 price objective on Lazard and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lazard in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Lazard in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Lazard Stock Down 1.1%

LAZ stock opened at $49.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57 and a beta of 1.38. Lazard has a 52 week low of $31.97 and a 52 week high of $60.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $51.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.89. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The asset manager reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. Lazard had a net margin of 8.89% and a return on equity of 35.02%. The firm had revenue of $782.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. Lazard’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. Lazard’s payout ratio is presently 79.05%.

Insider Transactions at Lazard

In related news, CEO Evan L. Russo sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.95, for a total value of $2,847,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 227,915 shares in the company, valued at $12,979,759.25. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael Gathy sold 617 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.37, for a total transaction of $34,163.29. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 108,092 shares of company stock valued at $6,030,986. Corporate insiders own 3.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAZ. Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lazard during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Lazard during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Lazard during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lazard by 57.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 918 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Lazard in the second quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 54.80% of the company’s stock.

About Lazard

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.