Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ – Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.8571.

LAZ has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Lazard from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Lazard in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Lazard and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Lazard from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price 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.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on LAZ

Key Stories Impacting Lazard

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Preliminary December AUM of roughly $254.3 billion — market appreciation (+$2.2B) and FX (+$1.5B) offset modest net outflows (-$0.3B); quarterly average AUM ~$261.1B, which supports fee revenue potential and shows underlying asset growth. Lazard Reports December 2025 Assets Under Management
  • Neutral Sentiment: Lazard scheduled its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results release for Jan. 29 — a near-term catalyst that could move the stock depending on revenue, fees, and guidance. Lazard to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
  • Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research reiterated a “Strong Sell” stance while trimming several near-term EPS forecasts (notably cutting Q4 2025 to $0.66 from $0.83 and lowering some 2026 quarter estimates), although it raised one quarter’s estimate; the analyst downward revisions and negative rating increase downside risk to the stock. Zacks Research Updates Estimates
  • Negative Sentiment: An ex-Lazard banker has been charged in an alleged insider-trading scheme tied to health-care deals (U.S. prosecutors say tips generated roughly $41M), creating reputational and legal risk that can pressure investor sentiment and invite regulatory scrutiny. Ex-Lazard Banker Charged in Insider Trading Case Tied to Health-Care Deals

Institutional Trading of Lazard

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Lazard by 53.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 643 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Lazard in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Lazard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Lazard during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lazard Stock Performance

NYSE LAZ opened at $50.70 on Wednesday. Lazard has a 1 year low of $31.97 and a 1 year high of $58.07. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04 and a beta of 1.38.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The asset manager reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $770.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.91 million. Lazard had a net margin of 8.89% and a return on equity of 35.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Lazard will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lazard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. Lazard’s dividend payout ratio is 79.05%.

About Lazard

(Get Free Report)

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.

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