Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) Shares Gap Down After Analyst Downgrade

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday after Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from a buy rating to a hold rating. The stock had previously closed at $44.16, but opened at $41.88. Lazard shares last traded at $42.4170, with a volume of 231,727 shares.

LAZ has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Lazard from $53.00 to $46.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group cut their target price on Lazard from $59.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lazard from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Lazard in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Lazard from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.75.

Lazard News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The recent valuation review argues that Lazard’s share-price weakness plus ongoing expansion efforts could create upside if execution restores confidence; the piece highlights current multiples and potential earnings leverage. Assessing Lazard (LAZ) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Expansion Efforts
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s Global Small Cap Equity portfolio, describing positioning and performance; useful for understanding asset-management strategy but not an immediate stock catalyst. Lazard Global Small Cap Equity Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s US Short Duration Fixed Income portfolio; provides context on fixed-income positioning and flows but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Lazard US Short Duration Fixed Income Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: An interview with Lazard’s CEO discussing geopolitics and strategic priorities; offers color on management thinking but no direct near-term financial implications. Just watching the Strait of Hormuz misses the bigger point: Lazard boss
• Negative Sentiment: A report says Lazard may face redemption limits after private-credit valuations were hit — potential gates or liquidity constraints can pressure AUM, management fees and investor confidence. This is the most direct negative near-term operational risk. Lazard Faces Redemption Limits As Private Credit Risks Hit Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $48 and set a neutral rating, reflecting reduced upside from prior levels and softer analyst sentiment. Benzinga UBS Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its price target to $46 and moved to a “sell” rating, signaling heightened caution from a major sell-side firm and adding downward pressure on sentiment. Benzinga Goldman Sachs Coverage

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lazard during the fourth quarter valued at $616,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Lazard by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,146,174 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $55,658,000 after purchasing an additional 12,011 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard during the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lazard by 455.3% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,459 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 3,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Lazard by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,382,751 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $67,147,000 after buying an additional 23,284 shares in the last quarter. 54.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lazard Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.38.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $892.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $876.32 million. Lazard had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 33.04%. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Lazard, Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Lazard’s payout ratio is currently 91.74%.

Lazard Company Profile

Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) is a leading global financial advisory and asset management firm, offering a comprehensive suite of services to corporations, governments and individuals. Founded in 1848, Lazard has built a reputation for providing independent advice and innovative solutions in complex financial transactions. The firm is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LAZ and maintains its headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda.

In its Financial Advisory segment, Lazard assists clients with mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, capital structure optimization and strategic planning.