Fact based stock research
Lazard (NYSE:LAZ)
BMG540501027
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Lazard stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), Lazard (Investment Banking & Brokerage, Bermuda) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lazard are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 41 (worse than 59% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 43), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 4), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on Lazard's financial characteristics. As the company Lazard's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 41), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 43), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 4), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | Bermuda |
| Industry | Investment Banking & Brokerage |
| Index | |
| Size class | X-Large |
25-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.
It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.
Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Lazard
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 52 |
|
47 |
|
45 |
|
41 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 42 |
|
27 |
|
7 |
|
43 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 15 |
|
56 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
16 |
|
5 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
13 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 1 (worse than 99% compared with investment alternatives), Lazard (Investment Banking & Brokerage, Bermuda) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lazard are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 41 (worse than 59% of alternatives), show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 43), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 4), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 1, is a sell recommendation based on Lazard's financial characteristics. As the company Lazard's key financial metrics all exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 41), low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 43), and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 4), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. Such poor financial performance sometimes indicates that the company's business is all concentrated in some distant future. This is sometimes the case for high-tech or biotechnology companies. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and risky today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts are all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that should only amount to a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 52 |
|
47 |
|
45 |
|
41 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 42 |
|
27 |
|
7 |
|
43 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 15 |
|
56 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 13 |
|
34 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 41 (worse than 59% compared with alternatives), Lazard shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Lazard. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 59, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 59% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Lazard's revenue size. The same is valid for dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 69, which means that dividends are expected to be higher than for 69% of comparable investments. On the other hand, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is less favorable than for 90% of alternatives (only 10% of peers have an even higher ratio). The same is valid for the Price-to-Profit (or Price / Earnings, P/E) ratio, which is higher than for 73% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 41, is a hold recommendation based on Lazard's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a somewhat surprising picture, because it means that profits are low while dividends are high. One interpretation could be that profits are expected to increase, justifying the high dividend payments. But it could also mean that the company desperately keeps the high dividends to avoid a collapsing share price. This would be a rather dangerous constellation. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is especially important in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 76 |
|
58 |
|
60 |
|
59 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 57 |
|
41 |
|
25 |
|
27 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 1 |
|
17 |
|
1 |
|
10 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 73 |
|
74 |
|
72 |
|
69 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 52 |
|
47 |
|
45 |
|
41 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 43 (better than 43% compared with alternatives), Lazard shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Lazard. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 100, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 100% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 48, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 52% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 14 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 29 (71% of alternative investments were better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is limited here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 68 |
|
21 |
|
66 |
|
48 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 89 |
|
46 |
|
1 |
|
100 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
45 |
|
14 |
|
14 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 34 |
|
29 |
|
19 |
|
29 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 42 |
|
27 |
|
7 |
|
43 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 4 (better than 4% compared with alternatives), the company Lazard has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Lazard is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for Lazard. Liquidity is at 37, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 63% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 8, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 35 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 65% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 4 (worse than 96% compared with alternatives), Lazard has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Lazard because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 20 |
|
35 |
|
8 |
|
8 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 20 |
|
41 |
|
43 |
|
35 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 22 |
|
72 |
|
26 |
|
37 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 15 |
|
56 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
41 |
|
23 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | n/a |
|
4 |
|
31 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | n/a |
|
80 |
|
1 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | n/a |
|
10 |
|
18 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
16 |
|
5 |
|
new |
|
Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Lazard from April 25, 2024.
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