Zacks Research Cuts Earnings Estimates for Moelis & Company

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered Moelis & Company’s Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $1.20 from $1.24 and maintained a “Hold” rating. The broader analyst consensus is also “Hold,” with an average price target of $73.62.
• Moelis recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.63 EPS versus $0.62 expected and revenue of $409.39 million, up 12% year over year and above the $387.27 million consensus.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.60 payout and a 3.9% yield; institutional investors own 91.53% of the stock.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Moelis & Company in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $1.20 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.24. Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Moelis & Company's current full-year earnings is $3.15 per share.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The asset manager reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.01. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 39.59% and a net margin of 14.50%.The company had revenue of $409.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.27 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.53 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on MC. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $60.00 target price (up from $58.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $73.62.

Moelis & Company Price Performance

NYSE MC opened at $66.71 on Friday. Moelis & Company has a 1-year low of $51.06 and a 1-year high of $78.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 23.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MC. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Moelis & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $88,000. American Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Moelis & Company in the second quarter worth about $270,000. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moelis & Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,217,000. Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moelis & Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $109,065,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. grew its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 12.5% during the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 6,931 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. 91.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.30, for a total value of $336,105.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,078.30. This represents a 97.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Moelis & Company's payout ratio is 90.59%.

Trending Headlines about Moelis & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.03 from $2.94, increased its Q4 2026 forecast to $1.25 from $1.21, and lifted its Q2 2027 estimate to $0.79 from $0.77.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its Q4 2027 EPS forecast to $1.82 from $1.66 and raised its FY2028 estimate to $5.33 from $5.27, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: MC shares recently moved above their 50-day moving average, a potentially constructive technical signal, although the accompanying report questions whether the move could represent a selling opportunity. Moelis & Company Share Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.65 from $0.67, cut its Q1 2027 forecast to $0.68 from $0.82, reduced its Q3 2027 estimate to $0.89 from $0.93, and lowered its Q2 2028 forecast to $1.21 from $1.27.
• Negative Sentiment: The near-term estimate reductions indicate some caution about the timing or strength of Moelis’ earnings growth. Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $3.03 remains below the broader consensus estimate of $3.13, reinforcing the cautious “Hold” stance.

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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