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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know about Moelis and their M&A group:

Culture:

  • Unique and Diverse: The culture at Moelis is described as a mix of "smart fratty guys and super smart sorority girls," reminiscent of a high school environment. It's very tight-knit, especially at the analyst level.
  • Improved Work-Life Balance: Previously known as a sweatshop, the work-life balance and culture have significantly improved in recent years, particularly in the LA office.

Exits:

  • Top-Tier Placements: Moelis analysts have strong exit opportunities, often getting looks from PE mega-funds (MFs) on both coasts.
  • Diverse Exits: The firm has seen a variety of exits, including Growth, Special Situations, and Buyout PE. This is broader compared to groups that self-select for Buyout PE.
  • High-Profile Exits: Some of the top-notch funds regularly hiring from Moelis NY include Apollo and Centerbridge, although the number of hires per year is limited.

Office-Specific Insights:

  • Moelis NY: Better exits than many coverage groups at GS, MS, JPM, and LAZ. The firm is HF-oriented as well as PE exits.
  • Moelis LA: Strong deal flow with top-tier placements. Founding partners' presence in the office contributes to its strength.
  • Moelis SF (Tech): Solid exits, particularly to top-tier Tech Funds and HFs on the West Coast. The SF and LA offices work closely as the "West Coast team."

Recruiting:

  • Target Schools: Moelis tends to hire from a specific set of target schools and is somewhat resistant to expanding this list, which could impact their ability to become the best.

Additional Notes:

  • Recent M&A and RX Engagements: The firm has been performing well in recent M&A and RX engagements, contributing to its strong exit opportunities.

For more detailed discussions and personal experiences, you might want to check out the specific threads on Wall Street Oasis.

Sources: Moelis NY in 2020? Top Groups? Exits?, Moelis SF (tech) info + exit ops?, Depressing Moelis & Co. Staffer Email, Recent Moelis NYC Exit Ops?, Moelis NY Exits List

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The Moelis M&A group functions similarly to a M&A group in BB where they are brought on for the M&A expertise and execution in transactions. Usually, M&A team at Moelis only works on public transaction where they would be the one doing modelling and public market analysis while the industry team focuses on the industry workstream. The team definitely requires strong foundation of technical knowledge due to the nature of public market analysis and various scenarios. Any public transaction essentially would require the M&A team to be on which means the team has strong deal flow but also long hours. From a PE recruiting perspective, I don't think HH cares about which group within Moelis as EB are all pretty standardized besides PJT RSSG. 

Definitely sweaty even within Moelis and can expect 1-2am on average with deal runs of consistently 3-4am. Source, have a friend who works within the group.

 

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Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
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  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
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  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

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