Zacks Research Predicts Lower Earnings for Moelis & Company

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Moelis & Company in a research report issued on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the asset manager will earn $0.65 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.67. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Moelis & Company’s current full-year earnings is $3.13 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Moelis & Company’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.03 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.68 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.89 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.82 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.21 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $5.33 EPS.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The asset manager reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.01. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 39.59% and a net margin of 14.50%.The firm had revenue of $409.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $387.27 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on MC. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Moelis & Company from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Moelis & Company from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (up from $58.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Moelis & Company from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.62.

Moelis & Company Stock Up 2.8%

MC opened at $68.42 on Thursday. Moelis & Company has a 52-week low of $51.06 and a 52-week high of $78.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.16 and its 200-day moving average is $64.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moelis & Company

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Moelis & Company by 292.2% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 455 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Moelis & Company by 64.4% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 416 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Moelis & Company by 89.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 597 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, General Counsel Osamu R. Watanabe sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.30, for a total transaction of $336,105.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 131 shares in the company, valued at $9,078.30. This represents a 97.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Moelis & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Moelis & Company’s payout ratio is presently 90.59%.

Key Headlines Impacting Moelis & Company

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $3.03 from $2.94, increased Q4 2026 EPS to $1.25 from $1.21, and lifted Q2 2027 EPS to $0.79 from $0.77. These revisions suggest improved expectations for earnings later in 2026 and into 2027.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also increased its Q4 2027 EPS estimate to $1.82 from $1.66 and FY2028 EPS to $5.33 from $5.27, providing a favorable longer-term earnings outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: MC shares crossed above their 50-day moving average, which may be viewed as a constructive technical signal. The stock’s 50-day average is $67.16, compared with a 200-day average of $64.55. Moelis & Company Share Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks kept its current full-year consensus EPS reference at $3.13 and retained its Hold rating. Recent company results were solid, with revenue up 12% year over year and quarterly EPS slightly above consensus, but the new estimates indicate an uneven earnings path.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut Q3 2026 EPS to $0.65 from $0.67, Q1 2027 EPS to $0.68 from $0.82, Q3 2027 EPS to $0.89 from $0.93, and Q2 2028 EPS to $1.21 from $1.27. The reductions point to weaker expectations in several upcoming periods.

About Moelis & Company

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.