Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: 11 analysts give Moelis & Company an average rating of "Hold" (9 holds, 2 buys) with a 12‑month average price target of $71.89.
• Q1 results: EPS missed at $0.50 versus $0.59 expected and revenue was marginally below estimates, yet the firm reported record Q1 revenue and margin expansion — the EPS miss spurred the negative market reaction.
• Dividend: Moelis declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 (annualized $2.60) implying roughly a 4.0% yield93.5%.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eleven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.8889.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MC shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $90.00 to $83.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock.

Moelis & Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MC opened at $64.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.87. Moelis & Company has a 52-week low of $51.06 and a 52-week high of $78.22. The company's 50 day moving average price is $59.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.72.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $319.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $321.51 million. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 38.79% and a net margin of 14.46%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Analysts forecast that Moelis & Company will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Moelis & Company's payout ratio is currently 93.53%.

More Moelis & Company News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moelis & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q1 revenue and margin expansion — Moelis reported its highest-ever quarterly revenue and said margins expanded, evidence that deal activity and fee mix improved year-over-year. Moelis Posts Record Q1 2026 Revenue and Margin Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised/declared — Moelis declared a $0.65 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend May 11), implying a roughly 4.0% yield, which can support the share price by attracting income-seeking investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted M&A momentum and strategic hiring — management emphasized continued M&A deal flow and targeted hiring to capture opportunities despite macro headwinds; this is growth-oriented but increases near-term expense pressure. Moelis & Co (MC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Growth Amid ...
• Neutral Sentiment: Full transcript available for detail — the earnings call transcript provides color on backlog, client activity and compensation/expenses for analysts to model future quarters. Moelis & Company (MC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS and revenue missed consensus — Q1 EPS was $0.50 vs. $0.59 expected and revenue came in marginally below estimates, which is the primary driver of the selloff as investors focus on near-term profitability. Moelis (MC) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Bear case circulation and critical research — recent write-ups (summarized in secondary coverage) highlight valuation and execution risks; that bearish narrative is amplifying selling pressure after the miss. Is Moelis & Company (MC) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction coverage — multiple outlets note the stock dropped after the print despite revenue strength, underscoring investor concern over the EPS miss and margin/profitability trajectory. How Moelis’ Q1 2026 Earnings Drop and Softer Profitability Will Impact Moelis (MC) Investors

Insider Buying and Selling at Moelis & Company

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 2,765 shares of Moelis & Company 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 sale, the general counsel owned 4,981 shares in the company, valued at $309,967.63. The trade was a 35.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moelis & Company

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 89.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 389 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 64.4% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 416 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 292.2% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 455 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.53% 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.