Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,149,582 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 31,170 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.89% of Lazard worth $541,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Lazard by 2,763.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,405,899 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $68,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,800 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lazard by 101.7% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 7,909 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 3,988 shares during the period. Autumn Glory Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Lazard by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC now owns 22,086 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in Lazard by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,294 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Lazard by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 27,911 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.80% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Lazard in a report on Monday, January 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Lazard in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Zacks Research cut Lazard from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Lazard from $59.00 to $52.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Lazard in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.63.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Lazard
More Lazard News
Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Lazard agreed to acquire Campbell Lutyens for $575M to create “Lazard CL,” aiming for roughly $500M of revenue by 2027 — a material, near-term growth lever for private capital advisory that could expand long-term revenue and margins. Lazard to Expand Private Capital Advisory With Campbell Lutyens Deal
- Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $49 (market perform), signaling buy-side recognition of Lazard’s strategic positioning and the potential upside from asset-management and advisory initiatives. Lazard NYSE: LAZ Price Target Raised to $49.00 at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods
- Positive Sentiment: Revenue and net profit in asset management drove a 67% jump in reported profit in Q1, highlighting strength in fee-generating businesses that can support earnings even as advisory fluctuates. Lazard profit soars 67% in Q1 2026 on asset management growth
- Positive Sentiment: Lazard hired Michael Ure as a senior adviser in its power, energy & infrastructure group, strengthening advisory expertise in a niche that could win mandate flow. Lazard hires former Western Midstream head Ure as senior adviser
- Neutral Sentiment: Lazard Asset Management launched an emerging-markets fund for retail investors (Australia focus), a distribution/flows positive that is incremental to AUM growth but not immediately material to global revenue. Lazard AM launches emerging market fund to retail sector
- Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed expectations on EPS (reported $0.42 vs. consensus $0.52) and revenue came in below estimates; rising expenses and weaker advisory revenue were cited as the main negatives, which drove near-term investor concern. Lazard Shares Down as Q1 Earnings Miss Estimates, Expenses Rise Y/Y
- Negative Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target from $45 to $44 and kept a neutral rating, reflecting limited near-term upside seen by another large broker. Benzinga
- Negative Sentiment: Market commentary and headlines framed the post-earnings selloff as significant, amplifying short-term volatility and negative sentiment toward advisory-facing stocks like Lazard. Why Lazard (LAZ) shares are getting obliterated today
Insider Activity
In related news, CEO Christopher Hogbin sold 3,944 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.37, for a total value of $155,275.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 11,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at $465,707.73. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter Richard Orszag sold 69,170 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.76, for a total transaction of $2,819,369.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 210,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,597,995.92. The trade was a 24.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 80,999 shares of company stock valued at $3,292,962 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.95% of the company's stock.
Lazard Trading Down 2.8%
Lazard stock opened at $43.85 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.44. Lazard, Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.67 and a 52-week high of $58.75.
Lazard (NYSE:LAZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $672.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.42 million. Lazard had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 29.42%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Lazard, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.
Lazard Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. Lazard's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.05%.
About Lazard
(
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LAZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report).
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