439,009 Shares in OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) Purchased by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired 439,009 shares of OUTFRONT Media, valued at approximately $7,086,000, representing about 0.26% of the company as of their latest SEC filing.
• OUTFRONT Media reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, despite a 3.6% year-over-year revenue decline to $460.20 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, with a yield of 6.8%, and has a dividend payout ratio of 206.90%.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new stake in OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 439,009 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,086,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned about 0.26% of OUTFRONT Media as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new position in OUTFRONT Media during the fourth quarter worth $192,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the 4th quarter worth about $972,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 94,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,684,000 after buying an additional 27,166 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the fourth quarter valued at about $282,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 140.9% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 477,405 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,469,000 after buying an additional 279,212 shares during the period.

OUTFRONT Media Price Performance

OUTFRONT Media stock opened at $17.70 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.76. OUTFRONT Media Inc. has a one year low of $12.95 and a one year high of $19.50. The company has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.37, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. OUTFRONT Media had a return on equity of 17.54% and a net margin of 5.99%. The company had revenue of $460.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $463.16 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that OUTFRONT Media Inc. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

OUTFRONT Media Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. OUTFRONT Media's dividend payout ratio is currently 206.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard H. Sauer sold 20,109 shares of OUTFRONT Media stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.88, for a total value of $319,330.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 70,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,124,875.68. The trade was a 22.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on OUT. Wall Street Zen lowered OUTFRONT Media from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on OUTFRONT Media from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $19.00.

About OUTFRONT Media

OUTFRONT Media, Inc leases advertising space on out-of-home advertising structures and sites. Its inventory consists of billboard displays, which are primarily located on the most heavily traveled highways & roadways, and transit advertising displays operated under exclusive multi-year contracts with municipalities in large cities across the U.S.

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