Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Lowers Position in Lamar Advertising Company $LAMR

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group cut its Lamar Advertising stake by 25.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 370,971 shares and leaving it with 1,107,328 shares valued at about $140.2 million.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on LAMR, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $148.00; recent target updates ranged up to $170 from TD Cowen.
• Lamar recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.00 EPS versus $0.82 expected and revenue of $528 million, while also declaring a $1.60 quarterly dividend payable June 30 for a 4.2% yield.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. cut its stake in Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR - Free Report) by 25.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,107,328 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 370,971 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned 1.09% of Lamar Advertising worth $140,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 151.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 48.1% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 317 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 93.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on LAMR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 price target on Lamar Advertising in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group set a $150.00 price target on Lamar Advertising in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lamar Advertising from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Lamar Advertising from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $148.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamar Advertising

In other news, EVP Ross Lamar Reilly sold 5,969 shares of Lamar Advertising stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.65, for a total value of $767,911.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,039,102.50. The trade was a 27.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 15.24% of the company's stock.

Lamar Advertising Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LAMR opened at $150.93 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.98. Lamar Advertising Company has a 1-year low of $113.66 and a 1-year high of $158.69. The firm has a market cap of $15.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.18. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 24.01%.The business had revenue of $528.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $522.86 million. Analysts anticipate that Lamar Advertising Company will post 8.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Lamar Advertising's payout ratio is 118.08%.

About Lamar Advertising

Lamar Advertising Company NASDAQ: LAMR is one of North America's largest outdoor advertising firms, specializing in out-of-home media solutions. Since its founding in 1902, the company has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to offer a broad portfolio of advertising products. Its core business centers on billboard advertising, encompassing traditional static billboards and a rapidly expanding network of digital displays. These assets enable advertisers to reach consumers with high-impact messaging along highways, in urban centers, and at high-traffic intersections.

In addition to highway billboards, Lamar offers a variety of supplemental out-of-home formats, including transit advertising on buses and shelters, and logo signage at travel plazas and gas stations.

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