Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-19 · Permanent

Moelis & Company logoMoelis & Company MC

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Moelis & Company operates as an investment banking advisory company in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

The label
Accumulation

read at $67.51

Moelis & Company holds its Accumulation at $67.51.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Accumulation label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-19
PhaseAccumulation
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the sellers, held for 262 days
Price$67.51
Valuation24.28 trailing · 17.26 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 30.0
Beta1.85

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$67.51
24.28 P/E · 17.26 fwd
Our fair value
$64.58
4% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$70.50
+4% to current
Target low $60.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $86.00
▲ current $67.51 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$89.8$62.0$34.1TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$86.00 +28%Analyst avg$70.50 +5%Our fair value$64.58 -4%Conservative$54.00 -20%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$67.51
you are here
Conservative
$54.00
-20%
Analyst avg
$70.50
+4%
Our fair value
$64.58
-4%
Analyst high
$86.00
+27%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.

Revenue growth4.30%
Profit margin14.46%
Debt to equity42.94
Analyst consensusHold · 10 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: financial services Fail
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
  • Revenue purity of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Advisory fees look tempting until ethics bite

Picture a banker in New York closing a merger that moves billions across borders. The fees land quickly, yet the whole sector sits on our prohibited list because financial services carry risks we will not touch.

We pass for the clearest reason: the ethical screen fails outright on industry grounds. Revenue growth sits at just 4 percent, the forward multiple is 17.3 times, and the shares already trade above our fair value with almost no margin of safety. High return on equity of 42 percent cannot override that hard stop.

The business remains exposed to deal cycles that can flatten fast, and analyst targets offer little comfort when the core objection is ethical. A hold consensus does not change the screen result.

Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E17.3x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E24.3x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth4.3%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin14.5%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity41.8%
an exceptional return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity0.43
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio1.90
healthy short-term liquidity
Beta1.85
much more volatile than the market
Market cap$5.0B
Employees1,416

The risks · The things to watch: it already moves more than the market on an average day.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in MC's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

MC trades on the NYSE. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 21%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (10 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $71. Entered 2026-07-18 · Markdown

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Markdown $67.70 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 21%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (10 analysts) rates it hold, with a mean price target of $71.

2026-07-03 Markdown $67.70 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markdown $67.70 Entry 1

The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming MC
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
7 May2026 Mike Kelly Republican sell 1K–15K
6 May2026 Scott Peters Democrat buy 50K–100K
30 Jun2026 Gil Cisneros Democrat buy 1K–15K
27 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K
2026-04-15 Josh Gottheimer Democrat Purchase 1K–15K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $63.85 +5.1% $0.65 $1,061 +6.1%
2 months $62.41 +7.5% $0.65 $1,086 +8.6%
3 months $50.87 +31.9% $0.65 $1,332 +33.2%
6 months $69.58 -3.6% $1.30 $983 -1.7%
1 year $55.54 +20.8% $2.60 $1,255 +25.5%
2 years $48.79 +37.5% $5.10 $1,480 +48.0%
3 years $37.94 +76.9% $7.50 $1,966 +96.6%
5 years $41.93 +60.0% $14.80 $1,953 +95.3%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever MC does next, these words stay.

Moelis & Company · MC · Accumulation · $67.51
Recorded 2026-07-19 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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