Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.37 EPS

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The asset manager reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.37, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $487.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.17 million. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.98% and a return on equity of 45.62%. The business’s revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share.

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 3.0%

MC stock traded up $2.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $73.00. 773,938 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 819,399. Moelis & Company has a 12-month low of $47.00 and a 12-month high of $82.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.96.

Moelis & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Moelis & Company News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and buyback — Moelis reported Q4 revenue up ~11% to $487.9M and EPS above consensus; the board also approved a new $300M share repurchase program, a direct boost to shareholder returns. MC Gains on Q4 Earnings Beat as Revenues Rise, Announces Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — Moelis announced a $0.65 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~3.7%), with an ex-dividend/record date in mid-February, increasing direct income for shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum — Recent analyst note(s) have raised near-term estimates and several firms maintain buy/overweight views and targets above current levels, supporting upside sentiment. Q3 EPS Estimate for Moelis & Company Boosted by Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Call/transcript and deeper analysis — Management discussed M&A momentum, capital markets expansion and strategic hires on the earnings call; read the transcript for details on pipeline and margins. Moelis and Company (MC) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying profitability and cash-flow concerns — While revenue beat, operating profit and net income were slightly down year-over-year, diluted EPS dipped vs. prior year, and operating cash flow and cash balances declined materially (notable uptick in capex). These trends could temper enthusiasm if persistent. Moelis & Company (MC) Stock Rises on Q4 2025 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional flows — Recent small insider sales and mixed institutional positioning (large adds and large trims reported) add some uncertainty around near-term ownership dynamics. Moelis & Company (MC) Stock Rises on Q4 2025 Earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America started coverage on Moelis & Company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut Moelis & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Moelis & Company in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.11.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 1,811.1% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 516 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 89.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Moelis & Company by 489.2% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 548 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 704 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

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.