Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on MC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Moelis & Company from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Moelis & Company from $90.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $64.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.89.

Moelis & Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MC stock opened at $64.86 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.72. The firm has a market cap of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.33, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.87. Moelis & Company has a 12 month low of $51.06 and a 12 month high of $78.22.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The asset manager reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $319.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $321.51 million. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 38.79% and a net margin of 14.46%.Moelis & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Moelis & Company will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moelis & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Moelis & Company’s payout ratio is 93.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moelis & Company

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 2,765 shares of Moelis & Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.23, for a total transaction of $172,065.95. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 4,981 shares in the company, valued at $309,967.63. The trade was a 35.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 89.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 389 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Moelis & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 64.4% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 416 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 153.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 292.2% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 455 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Moelis & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q1 revenue and margin expansion — Moelis reported its highest-ever quarterly revenue and said margins expanded, evidence that deal activity and fee mix improved year-over-year. Moelis Posts Record Q1 2026 Revenue and Margin Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised/declared — Moelis declared a $0.65 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend May 11), implying a roughly 4.0% yield, which can support the share price by attracting income-seeking investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted M&A momentum and strategic hiring — management emphasized continued M&A deal flow and targeted hiring to capture opportunities despite macro headwinds; this is growth-oriented but increases near-term expense pressure. Moelis & Co (MC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Growth Amid …
• Neutral Sentiment: Full transcript available for detail — the earnings call transcript provides color on backlog, client activity and compensation/expenses for analysts to model future quarters. Moelis & Company (MC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS and revenue missed consensus — Q1 EPS was $0.50 vs. $0.59 expected and revenue came in marginally below estimates, which is the primary driver of the selloff as investors focus on near-term profitability. Moelis (MC) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Bear case circulation and critical research — recent write-ups (summarized in secondary coverage) highlight valuation and execution risks; that bearish narrative is amplifying selling pressure after the miss. Is Moelis & Company (MC) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction coverage — multiple outlets note the stock dropped after the print despite revenue strength, underscoring investor concern over the EPS miss and margin/profitability trajectory. How Moelis’ Q1 2026 Earnings Drop and Softer Profitability Will Impact Moelis (MC) Investors

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.