Impact Partnership Wealth LLC Purchases Shares of 10,063 Lazard, Inc. $LAZ

Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 10,063 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $531,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lazard during the 2nd quarter valued at $66,547,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Lazard in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,305,000. AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lazard during the 2nd quarter valued at $16,244,000. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lazard during the second quarter valued at approximately $14,772,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Lazard by 9.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,108,229 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $101,153,000 after acquiring an additional 180,244 shares during the last quarter. 54.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Lazard in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Lazard from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Lazard from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $46.00 price objective on Lazard and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Lazard in a report on Monday, January 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $57.13.

Key Stories Impacting Lazard

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat Wall Street: Lazard reported $0.80 EPS vs. $0.68 expected and revenue of $892M (up ~11% y/y); AUM rose and both advisory and asset-management revenues increased — a clear earnings catalyst supporting the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target from $59 to $62 and kept an “outperform” rating — adds upside narrative for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and capital return: Lazard announced a $0.50 quarterly dividend (3.7% yield) with an upcoming ex-dividend date — supports income-seeking investors and signals management confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management moves: Tracy Farr named CFO effective Feb 1 — experienced finance chief can be a governance/execution positive. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Productivity target tied to growth plans: Management signaled a long-term productivity target (~$12.5M revenue per managing director by 2030) while accelerating MD hiring — positive for long-term margins but neutral near-term as it accompanies expansion. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and hiring pressure: Coverage notes higher costs associated with talent expansion and hires (21 MDs in 2025), which could weigh on margins in the short term despite revenue growth — likely a moderating factor on the share reaction. Read More.

Lazard Price Performance

Lazard stock opened at $53.65 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. Lazard, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.97 and a 52-week high of $58.07. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.01.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.12. Lazard had a return on equity of 34.54% and a net margin of 7.49%.The company had revenue of $892.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $876.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lazard, Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lazard Announces Dividend

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

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.