Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the four research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.25.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LAMR shares. Citigroup downgraded Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Lamar Advertising in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $132.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Lamar Advertising Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ LAMR opened at $130.95 on Thursday. Lamar Advertising has a 12 month low of $77.21 and a 12 month high of $132.21. The company has a market cap of $13.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.89 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.22.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.67). Lamar Advertising had a net margin of 23.34% and a return on equity of 42.18%. The company had revenue of $565.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lamar Advertising will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th will be given a $1.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 18th. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is presently 114.99%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAMR. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lamar Advertising in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 144.4% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 93.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamar Advertising Company Profile

Lamar Advertising Company operates as an outdoor advertising company in the United States and Canada. The company owns and operates billboards, logo signs, and transit advertising displays, as well as rents space for advertising on billboards, buses, shelters, benches, logo plates, and in airport terminals.