Bfsg LLC Buys New Shares in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,869 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $199,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LAMR. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Lamar Advertising during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Lamar Advertising by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 493 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in Lamar Advertising by 249.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lamar Advertising in the 3rd quarter valued at $108,000. 93.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising from $92.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th.

Lamar Advertising Price Performance

Lamar Advertising stock traded down $0.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $113.23. 33,707 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,296. Lamar Advertising has a 1-year low of $77.21 and a 1-year high of $121.99. The company has a market capitalization of $11.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.02 and a 200 day moving average of $104.20.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.49). Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 41.88% and a net margin of 23.49%. The business had revenue of $555.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $549.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lamar Advertising will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Lamar Advertising’s payout ratio is 107.22%.

Insider Activity at Lamar Advertising

In related news, CFO Jay Lecoryelle Johnson sold 5,000 shares of Lamar Advertising stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $594,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,700. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 14.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lamar Advertising 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.