Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) Earns Neutral Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a neutral rating on Lamar Advertising and set a $153 price target, implying about 4.4% downside from the current share price.
• Other analysts remain mixed on LAMR, with Citigroup downgrading the stock to neutral while TD Cowen and Weiss Ratings stayed bullish; overall, the consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $154.67.
• Lamar Advertising recently reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while the stock traded around $160.07 and remains closely held by institutions, which own 93.78% of shares.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $153.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential downside of 4.42% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on LAMR. Citigroup downgraded Lamar Advertising from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $145.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Friday, July 10th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Lamar Advertising in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 target price on Lamar Advertising in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $154.67.

Lamar Advertising Stock Down 0.7%

Lamar Advertising stock opened at $160.07 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.53 and a beta of 1.19. Lamar Advertising has a twelve month low of $113.66 and a twelve month high of $164.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $153.82 and a 200-day moving average of $140.04.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.00 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $522.86 million. Lamar Advertising had a net margin of 24.01% and a return on equity of 55.53%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lamar Advertising will post 8.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamar Advertising

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LAMR. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Lamar Advertising by 12,278.7% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,147,876 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $145,298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,138,603 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lamar Advertising in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,705,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lamar Advertising by 123.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,475,525 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $177,152,000 after purchasing an additional 816,217 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 97.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 991,990 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $121,439,000 after purchasing an additional 490,463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,629,554 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $199,490,000 after purchasing an additional 314,235 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.78% of the company's stock.

Lamar Advertising Company Profile

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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