Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The asset manager reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.37, FiscalAI reports. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.98% and a return on equity of 45.62%. The firm had revenue of $487.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $430.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Moelis & Company’s conference call:

• Recorded strong results with Q4 revenue of $488 million and FY adjusted revenue of $1.54 billion (+28% YoY), adjusted EPS of $2.99 (+64%), a robust balance sheet with $849 million cash and no debt, a $0.65 quarterly dividend, and a new $300 million share repurchase authorization after ~950k shares repurchased in 2025.
• Management says momentum and client activity are at multi-year highs with record new-business generation and a near‑record pipeline, expecting sponsor re-engagement and broader middle‑market pickup in 2026 while rapidly scaling its private capital advisory (PCA) / GP‑led secondaries capability.
• Operational leverage improved materially: adjusted compensation ratio fell to 65.8% (down 320 bps) and full‑year adjusted pre‑tax margin rose to 21.5% (510 bps improvement YoY), demonstrating stronger profitability discipline.
• Non‑compensation expenses rose due to higher deal‑related T&E, technology and data (including AI) investments, and occupancy from headcount growth, and the firm expects non‑comp expenses in 2026 to grow at a similar rate as 2025.
• Capital Structure Advisory revenues declined in 2025, but management expects a long runway of liability‑management and eventual in‑court restructurings as leverage and technology disruption persist, projecting CSA to be flat‑to‑up going forward.

Moelis & Company Stock Up 2.0%

NYSE:MC opened at $70.78 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.96. The stock has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.87. Moelis & Company has a twelve month low of $47.00 and a twelve month high of $82.89.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Moelis & Company’s payout ratio is 86.96%.

Moelis & Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: Moelis reported EPS of $1.13 vs. consensus ~ $0.74 and revenue of $487.9M, topping estimates and showing 11.2% YoY revenue growth — a clear catalyst for the stock strength. Moelis (MC) Beats Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and profitability signals: revenue and gross profit increased YoY and revenue materially exceeded street forecasts, supporting higher near-term fee income expectations for the advisory franchise. Moelis & Company Stock Rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street tone and targets remain constructive: several recent buy/overweight ratings and price targets (median ~ $80) give further technical/analyst support to the move. Analyst Ratings and Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary / call transcript available — useful for deal pipeline and margin outlook but no major new guidance disclosed in headlines; read the transcript for color on transaction backlog and expense cadence. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Forward estimates nudged higher by some shops (Zacks adjustments), but consensus full‑year EPS still modestly lower than some longer‑term scenario upside — a gradual positive rather than a one‑off catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Some margin and cash‑flow pressure: operating profit and net income were slightly down YoY, diluted EPS trends weaker vs. last year in certain presentations, and cost of sales rose — potential risk to margin expansion if deal mix softens. Q4 Financial Details (profit, EPS trends)
• Negative Sentiment: Balance sheet / cash-flow weakening: cash from operations declined sharply and cash balances fell year-over-year, while capex purchases rose — watch near-term cash conversion and working capital dynamics. Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling noted (small volume) — not large, but a signal some insiders have trimmed exposure. Insider Trading Notes

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 1,811.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 516 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 89.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 489.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 548 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 355.6% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 902 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Moelis & Company from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moelis & Company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.00.

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. 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.