UBS Group AG Lowers Stock Holdings in Lamar Advertising Company $LAMR

Key Points

• UBS Group AG trimmed its stake in Lamar Advertising by 17.3% in Q4, selling 78,855 shares and leaving it with 376,034 shares (about 0.37% of the company) valued at roughly $47.6 million.
• Lamar raised its quarterly dividend to $1.60 ($6.40 annual), yielding about 4.5%, but the payout ratio is high at 110.92%, signaling potential sustainability concerns.
• The company recently beat estimates with $1.00 EPS vs. $0.82 expected and $528 million in revenue, and analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $139.80 price target.

UBS Group AG cut its holdings in Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR - Free Report) by 17.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 376,034 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 78,855 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 0.37% of Lamar Advertising worth $47,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Lamar Advertising by 151.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 251 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Lamar Advertising in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Lamar Advertising in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamar Advertising during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.78% of the company's stock.

Lamar Advertising Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Lamar Advertising stock opened at $141.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $132.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.65. The stock has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46 and a beta of 1.18. Lamar Advertising Company has a 1-year low of $112.00 and a 1-year high of $142.39.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $528.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $522.86 million. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 58.58% and a net margin of 25.91%. Analysts predict that Lamar Advertising Company will post 8.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. This is a boost from Lamar Advertising's previous quarterly dividend of $1.55. Lamar Advertising's payout ratio is presently 110.92%.

Insider Activity at Lamar Advertising

In other news, EVP Ross Lamar Reilly sold 5,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.65, for a total transaction of $767,911.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,039,102.50. The trade was a 27.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 15.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LAMR. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group set a $150.00 price objective on Lamar Advertising in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $121.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lamar Advertising from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $139.80.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LAMR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.