Lazard, Inc. to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.50 (NYSE:LAZ)

Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of 0.50 per share by the asset manager on Friday, February 20th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th.

Lazard has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. Lazard has a payout ratio of 53.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Lazard to earn $5.06 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 39.5%.

Lazard Stock Performance

Shares of Lazard stock traded up $0.81 on Thursday, hitting $53.42. The stock had a trading volume of 950,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 999,162. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.09 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $50.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 2.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. Lazard has a twelve month low of $31.97 and a twelve month high of $58.07.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The asset manager reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.12. Lazard had a net margin of 8.89% and a return on equity of 35.02%. The company had revenue of $892.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $876.32 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Lazard will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

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.