Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 12,395 Shares of Lazard, Inc. $LAZ

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. cut its position in shares of Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) by 3.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 361,336 shares of the asset manager’s stock after selling 12,395 shares during the quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Lazard were worth $19,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAZ. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lazard in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,744,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lazard during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,920,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in shares of Lazard during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,210,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lazard by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,722,504 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $90,914,000 after purchasing an additional 20,591 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lazard in the third quarter valued at $3,404,000. 54.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAZ has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on Lazard in a research report on Monday, January 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Lazard in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Lazard from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Lazard from $53.00 to $46.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lazard in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lazard presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.75.

Key Headlines Impacting Lazard

Here are the key news stories impacting Lazard this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The recent valuation review argues that Lazard’s share-price weakness plus ongoing expansion efforts could create upside if execution restores confidence; the piece highlights current multiples and potential earnings leverage. Assessing Lazard (LAZ) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Expansion Efforts
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s Global Small Cap Equity portfolio, describing positioning and performance; useful for understanding asset-management strategy but not an immediate stock catalyst. Lazard Global Small Cap Equity Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 commentary on Lazard’s US Short Duration Fixed Income portfolio; provides context on fixed-income positioning and flows but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Lazard US Short Duration Fixed Income Portfolio Q4 2025 Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: An interview with Lazard’s CEO discussing geopolitics and strategic priorities; offers color on management thinking but no direct near-term financial implications. Just watching the Strait of Hormuz misses the bigger point: Lazard boss
• Negative Sentiment: A report says Lazard may face redemption limits after private-credit valuations were hit — potential gates or liquidity constraints can pressure AUM, management fees and investor confidence. This is the most direct negative near-term operational risk. Lazard Faces Redemption Limits As Private Credit Risks Hit Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $48 and set a neutral rating, reflecting reduced upside from prior levels and softer analyst sentiment. Benzinga UBS Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lowered its price target to $46 and moved to a “sell” rating, signaling heightened caution from a major sell-side firm and adding downward pressure on sentiment. Benzinga Goldman Sachs Coverage

Lazard Stock Performance

Lazard stock opened at $40.51 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $51.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.33. Lazard, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.97 and a 52-week high of $58.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 2.28 and a quick ratio of 2.28.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.12. Lazard had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 33.04%. The company had revenue of $892.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $876.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lazard, Inc. will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lazard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Lazard’s payout ratio is 91.74%.

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.