Roxbury Financial LLC Invests $53,000 in Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ)

Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,034 shares of the asset manager’s stock, valued at approximately $53,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lazard by 209.0% in the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,267 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. 54.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lazard Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAZ opened at $55.23 on Friday. Lazard, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $61.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $52.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.44. The company has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.72.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.09. Lazard had a return on equity of 44.58% and a net margin of 8.98%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lazard, Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Lazard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Lazard’s payout ratio is presently 75.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lazard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lazard from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Lazard from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Lazard from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Lazard from $51.00 to $44.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.33.

Insider Transactions at Lazard

In related news, CEO Evan L. Russo sold 35,000 shares of Lazard stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.64, for a total value of $1,877,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 188,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,108,350.72. The trade was a 15.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.86% of the company’s stock.

Lazard Company Profile

Lazard, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a financial advisory and asset management firm in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. It operates in two segments, Financial Advisory and Asset Management. The Financial Advisory segment offers financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, shareholder, sovereign, geopolitical advisory, and other strategic advisory services, as well as restructuring and liability management, and capital raising and placement services.