Q1 2025 EPS Estimates for Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) Lifted by Zacks Research

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Lazard in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, October 3rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the asset manager will earn $0.79 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.77. The consensus estimate for Lazard’s current full-year earnings is $2.40 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lazard’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.82 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.24 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.25 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.39 EPS.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The asset manager reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.17. Lazard had a return on equity of 41.78% and a net margin of 5.50%. The firm had revenue of $685.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $625.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on LAZ. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Lazard from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lazard from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Lazard in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Lazard from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target (up from $49.00) on shares of Lazard in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lazard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.43.

Lazard Price Performance

Shares of LAZ opened at $48.35 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $48.01 and its 200-day moving average is $42.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.60, a current ratio of 1.94 and a quick ratio of 1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -138.13 and a beta of 1.39. Lazard has a fifty-two week low of $25.82 and a fifty-two week high of $51.46.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lazard by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,678,365 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $447,103,000 after buying an additional 152,857 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Lazard by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,043,754 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $78,031,000 after acquiring an additional 79,889 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in shares of Lazard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $65,650,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lazard by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 651,521 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $24,875,000 after purchasing an additional 44,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Lazard by 19.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 481,406 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $18,370,000 after purchasing an additional 77,974 shares during the period. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Lazard news, Chairman Kenneth M. Jacobs sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.01, for a total transaction of $99,969.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 1,727,723 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $86,403,427.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lazard news, Chairman Kenneth M. Jacobs sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.01, for a total transaction of $99,969.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 1,727,723 shares in the company, valued at $86,403,427.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Kenneth M. Jacobs sold 87,770 shares of Lazard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.08, for a total value of $4,219,981.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,553,225 shares in the company, valued at $74,679,058. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 383,497 shares of company stock valued at $18,020,696. Insiders own 3.86% of the company’s stock.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 5th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. Lazard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -571.43%.

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.