UBS Group AG Has $42.92 Million Stake in Moelis & Company $MC

Key Points

• UBS Group AG reduced its stake in Moelis & Company by 8.4%, selling 57,261 shares and leaving it with 624,407 shares valued at $42.92 million (about 0.80% of the company).
• Moelis missed Q1 estimates, reporting $0.50 EPS vs. $0.59 expected and $319.78M revenue vs. $321.51M, though revenue rose 4.3% year-over-year; the firm also announced a $0.65 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.60, 4.1% yield) with a 93.5% payout ratio.
• Market sentiment is muted: institutional investors own 91.53% of shares and insiders 6.40%, analysts maintain a consensus Hold rating with an average target of $71.89 amid several recent price-target cuts.

UBS Group AG lowered its stake in Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Free Report) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 624,407 shares of the asset manager's stock after selling 57,261 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.80% of Moelis & Company worth $42,922,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 89.8% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 389 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Moelis & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Moelis & Company by 89.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.53% of the company's stock.

Moelis & Company Trading Up 0.7%

Moelis & Company stock opened at $63.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.00, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.06 and a 200-day moving average of $65.64. Moelis & Company has a 1 year low of $51.06 and a 1 year high of $78.22.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.09). Moelis & Company had a net margin of 14.46% and a return on equity of 38.94%. The company had revenue of $319.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Moelis & Company will post 3.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. Moelis & Company's payout ratio is currently 93.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on MC. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 2,765 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.23, for a total value of $172,065.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 4,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $309,967.63. This represents a 35.70% decrease in their position. The sale 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.

Moelis & Company Company Profile

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.

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