Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Moelis & Company has been downgraded from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" rating by Zacks Research, reflecting a shift in the investment outlook for the firm.
• Analysts expect Moelis & Company to achieve a Q3 2025 EPS of $0.48 and FY2025 EPS of $2.28, indicating gradual earnings growth over the next few years.
• Currently, the stock has an average rating of "hold" with a consensus target price of $73.14, while recent price targets vary among analysts.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Moelis & Company's Q3 2025 earnings at $0.48 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.28 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.64 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.70 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.79 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.04 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.09 EPS.

MC has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Moelis & Company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $50.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $69.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.14.

Moelis & Company Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MC opened at $65.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82 and a beta of 1.77. Moelis & Company has a 52 week low of $47.00 and a 52 week high of $82.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $71.76 and a 200 day moving average of $63.62.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The asset manager reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $365.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $269.57 million. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 42.72% and a net margin of 14.31%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 38.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moelis & Company

In related news, Director Kenneth Shropshire sold 2,615 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.52, for a total value of $189,639.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,109 shares of the company's stock, valued at $515,544.68. This represents a 26.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 6,340 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.64, for a total value of $460,537.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,515.84. The trade was a 97.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 1.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,305,688 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $484,720,000 after purchasing an additional 158,373 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 4.7% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,080,123 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $191,953,000 after purchasing an additional 137,824 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 3.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,862,337 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $178,381,000 after purchasing an additional 89,143 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 4.1% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,845,605 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $177,338,000 after purchasing an additional 112,281 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 6.0% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,396,230 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $149,333,000 after purchasing an additional 135,885 shares during the last quarter. 91.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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