Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.5556.

MC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $74.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th.

Moelis & Company Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of MC stock opened at $57.51 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.04. Moelis & Company has a 52 week low of $47.00 and a 52 week high of $78.22. The company has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.87.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.37. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 41.67%. The business had revenue of $487.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $430.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moelis & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 2,765 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.23, for a total transaction of $172,065.95. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 4,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $309,967.63. This trade represents a 35.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 89.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 389 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 416 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 153.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Moelis & Company during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 91.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Moelis & Company

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. The company was founded by Kenneth David Moelis, Navid Mahmoodzadegan, Jeffrey Raich and Elizabeth Ann Crain in July 2007 and is headquartered in New York, NY.