Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The asset manager reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. Lazard had a return on equity of 35.02% and a net margin of 8.89%.The company had revenue of $892.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $876.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Lazard’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Lazard’s conference call:

• Firm-wide results showed progress on Lazard 2030 with $3.0 billion revenue in 2025, record Financial Advisory revenue of $1.8 billion, and AUM up 12%, supporting management’s growth thesis.
• Financial Advisory is being scaled through aggressive MD hiring (net additions well above 2024 levels) while productivity rose to $8.9 million per MD and management raised a 2030 target of $12.5 million per MD.
• Asset Management hit an inflection point with record gross inflows, the launch of seven U.S. active ETFs (>$800M AUM), and $13 billion of won-but-not-yet-funded mandates, underpinning guidance for positive net flows in 2026.
• Near-term AM headwinds included Q4 net outflows of $19.7 billion (largely from the closure of one U.S. sub‑advised mandate), a 4% AUM decline versus September 2025, and an ~$0.8 billion FX drag that could pressure quarter-to-quarter metrics.
• Management continues to invest in talent and technology while trimming the compensation ratio to 65.5%; they returned $393 million to shareholders in 2025 and declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, but non‑comp expenses are expected to rise mid‑to‑high single digits as investments continue.

Lazard Price Performance

NYSE LAZ traded up $1.45 on Thursday, reaching $54.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,192,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,012,058. Lazard has a twelve month low of $31.97 and a twelve month high of $58.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 2.58 and a current ratio of 2.58. The stock has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 21.47 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $50.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.00.

Lazard Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. Lazard’s payout ratio is currently 79.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lazard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LAZ. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Lazard by 53.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 643 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Lazard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Lazard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $610,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in Lazard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $18,201,000. Finally, Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. acquired a new stake in Lazard during the 3rd quarter valued at $306,000. 54.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lazard from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Lazard from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lazard in a report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $46.00 target price on Lazard and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Lazard in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lazard has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.13.

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.