Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.00.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Moelis & Company from $69.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Moelis & Company from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Moelis & Company from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Moelis & Company from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $42.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 6,340 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.64, for a total transaction of $460,537.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,515.84. This trade represents a 97.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 398 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Moelis & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 1,551.3% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 644 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 1,460.8% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 796 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. 91.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moelis & Company Stock Performance

Moelis & Company stock traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.47. 1,087,355 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 873,789. The firm's 50 day moving average is $63.52 and its 200-day moving average is $63.45. Moelis & Company has a fifty-two week low of $47.00 and a fifty-two week high of $82.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.96 and a beta of 1.64.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $269.57 million. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 42.72% and a net margin of 14.31%. Moelis & Company's revenue for the quarter was up 38.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.18 EPS. Analysts predict that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Monday, August 4th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 4th. Moelis & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 102.36%.

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.