<div id="readability-page-1"><p>UBS Group AG raised its holdings in  Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report) by 97.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 332,333 shares of the asset manager's stock after purchasing an additional 164,168 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 0.29% of Lazard worth $16,138,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.</p><ul><li>Citi and Lazard just got bullish upgrades</li></ul><p>A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teza Capital Management LLC increased its stake in  Lazard by 2.4% in the second quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 8,059 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period.  Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in  Lazard by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 590 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period.  IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in  Lazard by 53.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 643 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period.  Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC increased its stake in  Lazard by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 47,628 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period.  Finally, AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in  Lazard by 0.6% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 44,214 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $2,334,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. 54.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Lazard in a research note on Monday, January 26th. They issued a &#34;buy&#34; rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lazard from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette &amp; Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Lazard from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a &#34;market perform&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Lazard from $59.00 to $52.00 and set an &#34;underweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Lazard from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;strong sell&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned  a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lazard  has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus price target of $52.56.</p><ul><li>3 Emerging Market Stocks To Cushion FED Hikes</li></ul><p><b>View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lazard</b></p><h2>Insider Transactions at Lazard</h2><p>In related news, CEO Christopher Hogbin sold 3,944 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.37, for a total value of $155,275.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 11,829 shares in the company, valued at $465,707.73. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Peter Richard Orszag sold 69,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.76, for a total transaction of $2,819,369.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 210,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,597,995.92. This represents a 24.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 80,999 shares of company stock valued at $3,292,962. 0.95% of the stock is owned by insiders. </p><h2>Lazard Price Performance</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:LAZ opened at $46.10 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.51, a current ratio of 3.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. Lazard, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.67 and a 52 week high of $58.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $44.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.83. </p><p>Lazard (NYSE:LAZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The asset manager reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $672.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.42 million. Lazard had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 29.30%. Lazard's revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.56 EPS.  Research analysts predict that  Lazard, Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year. </p><h2>Lazard Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Lazard's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.05%. </p><h2>Lazard Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Lazard Ltd. <span>NYSE: LAZ<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>In its Financial Advisory segment, Lazard assists clients with mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, capital structure optimization and strategic planning.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Lazard</li><li>Navy Catalyst Ignites Odysight’s Growth Engine</li><li>AST SpaceMobile Plummets on Galactic Q1 Miss: Can Vertical Integration Save the SpaceX Rival?</li><li>Axon Surged After Earnings and Is Still Down Over 50% From Highs</li><li>The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LAZ?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:LAZ - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUxBWg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUxBWg"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Lazard Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Lazard, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Lazard wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Lazard currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>UBS Group AG increased its stake in Lazard, Inc. by 97.6% in Q4, owning 332,333 shares valued at $16.14 million. Other institutional investors also raised their stakes. Analysts have mixed ratings on Lazard, with a consensus price target of $52.56. Recent insider sales included significant transactions by CEOs Christopher Hogbin and Peter Richard Orszag. Lazard's shares opened at $46.10, with a market cap of $5.15 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.22.</p>

Market Beat

Lazard

UBS Group AG

Citigroup

Bank of America

Morgan Stanley

CITIGROUP INC 6.250 NON CUM SER II PFD WI

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH INT NON CUM PFD QQ

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '5'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 7.25% NON-CUM PERP CONV PFD SER L

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.875%NON CUM DEP SHS REP1/1000TH SER HH

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '2'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5% DEP SHS REPR 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD LL

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHARES REP 1/1000TH PERP PFD SER 'E'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION INCOME CAPITAL OBLIG NTS DUE 15/12/2066

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.375% DP SH RP 1/1000TH IN NON CU PF NN

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SH REP 1/1200TH PRF SER 1 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.375%DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM SR KK

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 6%NON CUM DEP SHS EACH REP 1/1000 SER GG

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200 PFD SER 4 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD SER SS

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.125%DEP SH REP 1/1000 PFD SER PP USD25

Bank of America Corp

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS EA REP 1/1000 SHS NON CUM PFD O

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPSTG 1/1000TH PFD SER Q

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPS 1/1000 7.125% PFD E

MORGAN STANLEY NON-CUM DEP SH REP 1/1000 PFD SER I

MORGAN STANLEY 4.875 DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NCUM PFD SR L

MORGAN STANLEY 6.5%DEP SHS REPSTG 1/1000 NON CUM SER P

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPS 1/1000 PFD SER 'A'

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REPR 1/1000TH INT PFD SER 'F' FX

MORGAN STANLEY DEP SHS REP 1/1000 NON-CUM PFD STK SER K

Lazard, Inc. $LAZ Shares Bought by UBS Group AG