Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $132.40.

Several research firms have weighed in on LAMR. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lamar Advertising from $132.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lamar Advertising from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday.

Lamar Advertising Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ LAMR opened at $127.15 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.22. The company has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.43 and a beta of 1.52. Lamar Advertising has a 12 month low of $95.81 and a 12 month high of $139.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.17 by ($0.73). The firm had revenue of $564.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $568.91 million. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 42.58% and a net margin of 23.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.04 earnings per share. 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 was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th were 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 4.40%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is presently 112.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamar Advertising

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Lamar Advertising by 444.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 185 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. raised 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 purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lamar Advertising in the second quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 93.78% of the company’s stock.

About Lamar Advertising

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.