Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $143.60.

Several research firms have commented on LAMR. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Lamar Advertising Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ LAMR opened at $157.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $133.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14 and a beta of 1.18. Lamar Advertising has a 52 week low of $113.05 and a 52 week high of $158.69.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $528.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $522.86 million. Lamar Advertising had a net margin of 24.01% and a return on equity of 55.38%. On average, analysts predict that Lamar Advertising will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. This is an increase from Lamar Advertising's previous quarterly dividend of $1.55. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Lamar Advertising's payout ratio is presently 110.92%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Ross Lamar Reilly sold 5,969 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.65, for a total transaction of $767,911.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 15.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lamar Advertising

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 93.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Lamar Advertising News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lamar Advertising this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lamar Advertising reported Q1 FFO/AFFO results that beat estimates, with AFFO per share up 7.5% year over year, signaling solid operating momentum and helping lift the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings came in at $1.00 per share versus $0.82 expected, while revenue of $528.0 million also topped estimates, reinforcing confidence in the company’s near-term fundamentals. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports pointed to stronger national customer demand and improving advertising conditions, which investors may see as an important tailwind for Lamar’s revenue growth. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Lamar Advertising to $150 from $136 but kept an “equal weight” rating, suggesting the firm sees better value than before but is not turning outright bullish. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced CEO Sean Reilly will participate in an upcoming JPMorgan conference, which could provide additional investor updates but is not a material operating catalyst by itself. Article Title

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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