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

Shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.00.

Several research analysts have recently commented on LAMR shares. Citigroup lowered Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Lamar Advertising from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Lamar Advertising Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LAMR opened at $136.15 on Monday. Lamar Advertising has a 12 month low of $79.94 and a 12 month high of $139.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $127.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.71. The company has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.96 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th were paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. This is a positive change from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is 114.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamar Advertising

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAMR. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Lamar Advertising by 6.4% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,915 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Lamar Advertising by 444.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 185 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group purchased a new position in Lamar Advertising during the third quarter worth about $316,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,247,000. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lamar Advertising by 10.9% in the third quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 12,678 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,694,000 after acquiring an additional 1,244 shares during the period. 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.