Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of MC Q1 Earnings

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Moelis & Company in a report issued on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the asset manager will post earnings per share of $0.67 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.65. The consensus estimate for Moelis & Company’s current full-year earnings is $2.97 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Moelis & Company’s Q3 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.97 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.06 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.19 EPS.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The asset manager reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.37. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 43.19%. The firm had revenue of $487.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $430.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis.

MC has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Moelis & Company from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded Moelis & Company from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $78.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Moelis & Company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Moelis & Company from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.33.

Moelis & Company Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:MC opened at $63.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.01 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.81 and its 200 day moving average is $69.52. Moelis & Company has a 12 month low of $47.00 and a 12 month high of $78.22.

Moelis & Company Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 2,765 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the general counsel directly owned 4,981 shares in the company, valued at $309,967.63. This represents a 35.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moelis & Company

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position 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. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Moelis & Company by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 416 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 91.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional 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.