10 Best Stocks to Buy According to John W. Rogers of Ariel Investments

1. Lazard Ltd. (NYSE:LAZ)

Ariel Investments’ Stake as of Q4: $288.19 million

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Lazard Inc. (NYSE:LAZ) is a renowned financial advisory and asset management company that provides various services to institutional clients, including investment banking and asset management. With key executive offices in New York, Paris, and London, it ranks as one of the world’s largest independent investment banks.

Lazard Ltd. (NYSE:LAZ) published first-quarter results on April 25 that fell short of analyst estimates, as the firm continued to face a challenging business environment. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter ending came in at $0.56, falling short of the average forecast of $0.60. Revenue totaled $648 million, lower than the estimated $707.15 million and down 19% year-over-year. Within its business sectors, financial advisory net revenue fell 19% to $367 million, while asset management revenue slipped 2% to $288 million.

In that same vein, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Ryan Kenny downgraded Lazard Ltd. (NYSE:LAZ)’s shares from Equalweight to Underweight on April 7, along with a sharp drop in the price target from $56 to $33. Morgan Stanley’s downgrade reflects its diminished confidence in Lazard’s ability to meet financial targets in a demanding capital markets environment.

While we acknowledge the potential for LAZ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%.  If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than LAZ but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

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