Lazard Group has spent nearly $200m (€145m) buying three advisory businesses in the last quarter, the investment bank's first acquisitions since its stock market flotation two years ago.

Lazard paid at least $186m for three investment banking businesses, with the announced purchase in May of a planned 50% holding in Argentinean finance firm Merchant Bankers Asociados, and last month's acquisitions of US-based Goldsmith, Agio, Helms & Lynner and Australia's Carnegie, Wylie & Company.