Insider Selling: Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Director Sells 2,551 Shares of Stock

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) Director Kenneth Shropshire sold 2,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.30, for a total value of $184,437.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $501,762. This represents a 26.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Moelis & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:MC opened at $71.37 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $75.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.55 and a beta of 1.40. Moelis & Company has a 1 year low of $46.24 and a 1 year high of $82.89.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The asset manager reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.79. Moelis & Company had a return on equity of 38.49% and a net margin of 11.39%. On average, analysts predict that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

Moelis & Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.65 dividend. This is a boost from Moelis & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. Moelis & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 147.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $92.00 price objective (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Moelis & Company from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moelis & Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $78.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in Moelis & Company by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,960 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,475,000 after acquiring an additional 7,697 shares in the last quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 76,526 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $5,654,000 after purchasing an additional 6,511 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 175,795 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $12,988,000 after purchasing an additional 30,592 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 39,600 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 15,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Moelis & Company by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 26,671 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 7,847 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.53% of the company’s stock.

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.