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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
________________________________________________
FORM 8-K
________________________________________________
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 14, 2023
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Lazard Ltd
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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| | | | | | | | |
| Bermuda | 001-32492 | 98-0437848 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation) | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
| | |
Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton, Bermuda | | HM 11 |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 441-295-1422
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
________________________________________________
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| | | | | |
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Title of each class | | Trading
Symbol(s) | | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Class A Common Stock | | LAZ | | New York Stock Exchange |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On September 14, 2023, Lazard Ltd (the “Company”) announced the appointment of Alexandra Soto, 54, as Chief Operating Officer of the Company and Lazard Group LLC, effective immediately.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
Consistent with its previously announced policy to convey information about its business on its website, on September 14, 2023, Lazard Ltd (the “Company”) posted to its website a letter related to, among other things, the Company’s long-term financial goals with respect to revenue and total shareholder return.
The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K under Item 7.01 shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific referencing in such filing.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This Current Report on Form 8-K and the letter referenced herein contain forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “target,” “goal,” or “continue,” and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies, business plans and initiatives and anticipated trends in our business. These forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
These factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 1A “Risk Factors,” and also discussed from time to time in our reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K, including the following:
•A decline in general economic conditions or the global or regional financial markets;
•A decline in our revenues, for example due to a decline in overall mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, our share of the M&A market or our assets under management (AUM);
•Losses caused by financial or other problems experienced by third parties;
•Losses due to unidentified or unanticipated risks;
•A lack of liquidity, i.e., ready access to funds, for use in our businesses; and
•Competitive pressure on our businesses and on our ability to retain and attract employees at current compensation levels.
These risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Other sections of our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q describe additional factors that could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can management assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations and we do not intend to do so.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report on Form 8-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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| LAZARD LTD (Registrant) |
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| By: | /s/ Scott D. Hoffman |
| Name: | Scott D. Hoffman |
| Title: | Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel |
Dated: September 14, 2023 | | |