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what it is
Lazard advises companies on deals and runs money for clients.
how it gets paid
Last year Lazard made $3.2B in revenue. Long-only asset management was the main engine at $1.18B, or 37% of sales.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 1.5% last year. Revenue rose 193% to $2.3B. That is the loudest proof that fees.
what just happened
Lazard's latest quarter showed $1.72 EPS on $2.3B revenue.
At a glance
B++ balance sheet — above average — nothing keeping you up at night
10/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
18.2x trailing p/e — priced about right
4.2% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
20.5% return on capital — every dollar works hard here
xvary composite: 56/100 — below average
What they do
Lazard advises companies on deals and runs money for clients.
Lazard lives on reputation, not widgets. Financial advisory (advice on buying, selling, and fixing companies) produced 58% of 2024 revenue. Asset management (running other people's money) produced 42%, so your results come from two fee streams instead of one cycle.
How they make money
$3.2B
annual revenue · their business grew +1.5% last year
M&A and strategic advisory
$1.05B
+10.5%
Restructuring and liability management
$0.52B
+10.5%
Other corporate finance advisory
$0.29B
+10.5%
Long-only asset management
$1.18B
+8.0%
Alternatives and other asset management
$0.16B
+8.0%
The products that matter
advises on mergers and restructurings
Financial Advisory
58% of revenue · $1.86B
it is the biggest part of the business at $1.86B, and it gets paid when clients actually close deals or need strategic help in stressed markets.
core fee engine
manages client assets for fees
Asset Management
42% of revenue · $1.34B
this $1.34B segment is smaller than advisory, but it matters because fee income tied to client assets can smooth the ride when M&A closes more slowly.
fee base
Key numbers
$3.2B
annual revenue
That is the company’s top line. It also sits under a $5B market cap.
4.2%
dividend yield
You get cash while the business waits on deal volume and client flows.
18.2x
earnings multiple
You pay 18.2 times trailing earnings for a firm with a 10.3% operating margin.
$72
target price
That is 44% above the current $50.12 price.
Financial health
B++
strength
- balance sheet grade B++ — above average financial health
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 45 / 100
- long-term debt $1.7B (26% of capital)
- net profit margin 11.7% — keeps 12 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 59% — $0.59 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B++ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in LAZ 3 years ago → it's now worth $16,450.
The index would have given you $13,920.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
missed estimates
Lazard's latest quarter showed $1.72 EPS on $2.3B revenue.
EDGAR shows a huge from a year ago jump. Yahoo's earnings table shows $0.80 versus $1.02 expected, so the data bundle is not talking about the same quarter.
$2.3B
revenue
$1.72
eps
+193%
revenue growth
revenue jump
Revenue rose 193% to $2.3B. That is the loudest proof that fees, not hype, still drive this name.
-
lazard will probably post solid fourth-quarter results.we expect revenues expanded to about $945 million during the quarter, driven by stronger operations. financial advisory momentum probably continued, benefiting from robust m&a activity across the healthcare, industrials, and consumer sectors.
-
additionally, restructuring and liability management assignments also remain strong.
-
asset management continued to rise at a good clip, achieving net positive flows of $1.6 billion through september and assets climbing 17% to $265 billion, and this figure likely rose into the fourth period.
-
still, we project that compensation expenses were higher, limiting the bottom-line expansion.
-
even so, we think that earnings expanded to $1.02 per share during the december quarter.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is a freeze in global dealmaking.
med
advisory slowdown
Financial Advisory is 58% of revenue, or about $1.86B. If boards stop announcing deals or restructurings ease, Lazard's biggest fee pool cools immediately.
This is the direct line between macro fear and the income statement. Advisory fees do not drift lower politely — they disappear when transactions do.
med
asset management fee pressure
Asset Management is 42% of revenue, or about $1.34B. Lower markets or client outflows would pressure fee revenue just as advisory softens.
The recent $1.6B of positive flows helped. If that flips the other way, the steadier half of the business stops acting steady.
med
compensation creep
Higher compensation already limited bottom-line expansion. In a people business with a 10.4% net margin, pay inflation can eat the upside before shareholders see it.
This matters most in uneven quarters. When revenue is lumpy and bonuses stay high, EPS can disappoint even if the franchise is still healthy.
Advisory is 58% of $3.2B revenue and asset management is 42%, so weak markets do not hit one division in isolation — they lean on nearly the entire business model.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
earnings
next quarterly report
You want to see whether EPS moves away from the recent $0.65 quarter and whether management can hold onto the recovery narrative.
trend
deal activity
Advisory is 58% of revenue. If M&A and restructuring pipelines stay busy, Lazard's biggest fee engine keeps working.
metric
asset management flows
The recent $1.6B of positive flows was a real bright spot. You want that number to stay positive if markets get choppy.
risk
compensation ratio
Higher compensation already capped earnings upside. Watch whether better revenue actually reaches shareholders or gets absorbed by pay.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
average
momentum score 3 — in human-speak, analysts see a stock behaving normally, not one sending a strong near-term signal.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — typical market risk. Safer than the most fragile names, but not the kind of stock you hide in during a freeze in dealmaking.
chart momentum
top 20%
technical score 2 — analysts expect better-than-average price action in the year ahead. That is the market betting the cycle is improving.
earnings predictability
10 / 100
Very low predictability. Translation: quarter-to-quarter results can move around a lot because fees close unevenly and compensation does not wait.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net buying for 3 consecutive quarters — 171 buyers vs. 136 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 83.9M shares. net buying for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$41
$102
$50
current price
$72
target midpoint · +44% from current · 3-5yr high: $65 (+30% · 10% ann'l return)
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