Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

LAZ has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Lazard from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Lazard from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Lazard from $59.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lazard from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Lazard from $53.00 to $46.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.75.

Lazard Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of LAZ opened at $40.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.28, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. Lazard has a 12 month low of $31.97 and a 12 month high of $58.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $51.13 and its 200-day moving average is $51.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.40.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.12. Lazard had a return on equity of 33.04% and a net margin of 7.49%.The business had revenue of $892.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $876.32 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Lazard will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAZ. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lazard by 2.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,180,752 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $590,120,000 after acquiring an additional 245,205 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Lazard by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,807,320 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $427,685,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047,869 shares during the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC increased its position in Lazard by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 5,753,997 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $276,077,000 after purchasing an additional 134,717 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Lazard by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,456,726 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $119,299,000 after purchasing an additional 221,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Lazard by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,357,095 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $114,481,000 after purchasing an additional 6,429 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.80% of the company’s stock.

Lazard News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The recent valuation review argues that Lazard’s share-price weakness plus ongoing expansion efforts could create upside if execution restores confidence; the piece highlights current multiples and potential earnings leverage. Assessing Lazard (LAZ) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Expansion Efforts
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s Global Small Cap Equity portfolio, describing positioning and performance; useful for understanding asset-management strategy but not an immediate stock catalyst. Lazard Global Small Cap Equity Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s US Short Duration Fixed Income portfolio; provides context on fixed-income positioning and flows but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Lazard US Short Duration Fixed Income Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: An interview with Lazard’s CEO discussing geopolitics and strategic priorities; offers color on management thinking but no direct near-term financial implications. Just watching the Strait of Hormuz misses the bigger point: Lazard boss
• Negative Sentiment: A report says Lazard may face redemption limits after private-credit valuations were hit — potential gates or liquidity constraints can pressure AUM, management fees and investor confidence. This is the most direct negative near-term operational risk. Lazard Faces Redemption Limits As Private Credit Risks Hit Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $48 and set a neutral rating, reflecting reduced upside from prior levels and softer analyst sentiment. Benzinga UBS Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its price target to $46 and moved to a “sell” rating, signaling heightened caution from a major sell-side firm and adding downward pressure on sentiment. Benzinga Goldman Sachs Coverage

About Lazard

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.