Every New York stock exchange trading day I'm posting a daily dividend stock or fund review. I'll share the three chief qualities of just one equity or fund that could be selected for a dividend stock portfolio I've named the Safari to Sweet Success.

This week the portfolio I'm building (my Safari To Sweet Success portfolio) seeks a high-yield and growing stock in the financial services sector. 

The financial sector includes nineteen industries all related to managing money: asset management; banks either global or from any of seven regions, capital markets, credit services, financial exchanges, insurance in six specializations, savings banks, and specialty finance.

Today I'm reviewing a Mid-Cap Capital Markets firm. The company's name is Lazard Ltd. Its trading ticker symbol is LAZ.  

The company is a worldwide financial advisory and asset management firm. It offers financial advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, capital structure, capital raising and other advisory activities. This segment serves corporate, partnership, institutional, government, sovereign, and individual clients.

The company's Asset Management segment offers a range of investment solutions and investment management services in equity and fixed income strategies; and alternative investments and private equity funds to corporations, public funds, sovereign entities, endowments and foundations, labor funds, financial intermediaries, and private clients

Lazard Ltd was founded in 1848 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

I use three key data points gauge the value of any dividend equity or fund like Lazard Ltd (LAZ): 

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

After those three, four more keys will finally unlock an equity or fund in which to invest. 

No matter what, it's the first three primary traits that best tell whether a company has made, is making, and will make money. 

LAZ Price

Lazard's price was $54.28 per share at Friday's market close. A year ago its price was $44.96 for a gain of $9.32 per share in the past year.  

Assuming Lazard's price will continue to trade in the range of $45.00 to $65.00 next year, its price could grow another $9.32 from $54.28 to $63.60 by late-May, 2019. 

LAZ Dividends

Lazard's most recently declared quarterly dividend was $0.44 per share declared in April, and paid in May.That $0.44 Q dividend equates to an annual payout of $1.76 for 2018 which yields 3.24% at Friday's $54.28 closing stock price.

Gains For LAZ?

The $9.32 estimated year over year price gain plus an anticipated dividend of$1.76 makes a projected gross annual gain of $11.28 per share, which will be reduced by the costs to trade those shares.  

$1,000.00 invested today at the $54.28 price buys 18 shares. 

A $10 broker fee paid half at purchase and half at sale subtracts$0.55 per share.

Taking that $0.55 brokerage cost out of the estimated $11.28 gross gain per share leaves a net gain of $10.74 X 18 shares = $193.32 or a 19.5% potential net gain on a $977.04 investment.

Therefore, Lazard Ltd. (whose ticker symbol is LAZ ), now shows a possible 19.5% net gain including a 3.24% dividend yield. 

Ten analysts cover this stock:

Four say "buy."

Four say LAZ will "outperform" the market. 

Two say "hold."

The median analyst recommendation is 1.8 or Outperform and their price target is $3 above the estimate year over year number I just calculated.

Y Charts also rates LAZ "neutral" for an overall "Y" rating. Also, Y Charts shows "Good" for a Value score of 8 out of ten points. And YCharts also ranks LAZ "strong" with 7 out of 10possible Fundamental points. Y Charts also shows a Historic Valuation score as 7.65% overvalued, based on a $50.42 historic value multiple.

You could look at all those numbers like this: Lazard Ltd (LAZ) has made money, is making money, and could net a 19.5% net gain next year including3.24% dividend yield. It could be more, it could be less.

The above speculation is conjecture based on past year performance. Actual results remain to be seen.They could turn out to be far higher or lower. More study is required for you to determine if Lazard Ltd. (LAZ) is worth your time and money.