Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for MC Earnings

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) – Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2028 EPS estimates for shares of Moelis & Company in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $1.20 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.24. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Moelis & Company’s current full-year earnings is $3.15 per share.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on MC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Moelis & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Moelis & Company from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $60.00 target price (up from $58.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings cut Moelis & Company from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Moelis & Company from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.62.

Moelis & Company Price Performance

Shares of MC stock opened at $66.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.84. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.52. Moelis & Company has a one year low of $51.06 and a one year high of $78.22.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The asset manager reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $409.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $387.27 million. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 14.50% and a return on equity of 39.59%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.53 EPS.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Moelis & Company’s payout ratio is currently 90.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moelis & Company

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 4,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.30, for a total value of $336,105.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,078.30. This represents a 97.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Moelis & Company in the second quarter worth approximately $88,000. American Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $270,000. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,217,000. Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $109,065,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 6,931 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the period. 91.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Moelis & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.03 from $2.94, increased its Q4 2026 forecast to $1.25 from $1.21, and lifted its Q2 2027 estimate to $0.79 from $0.77.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its Q4 2027 EPS forecast to $1.82 from $1.66 and raised its FY2028 estimate to $5.33 from $5.27, suggesting stronger longer-term earnings potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: MC shares recently moved above their 50-day moving average, a potentially constructive technical signal, although the accompanying report questions whether the move could represent a selling opportunity. Moelis & Company Share Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.65 from $0.67, cut its Q1 2027 forecast to $0.68 from $0.82, reduced its Q3 2027 estimate to $0.89 from $0.93, and lowered its Q2 2028 forecast to $1.21 from $1.27.
• Negative Sentiment: The near-term estimate reductions indicate some caution about the timing or strength of Moelis’ earnings growth. Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $3.03 remains below the broader consensus estimate of $3.13, reinforcing the cautious “Hold” stance.

Moelis & Company Company Profile

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.