Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Boosts Stock Holdings in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Free Report) by 28.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,587 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 4,080 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Lamar Advertising were worth $2,263,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lamar Advertising during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 106.7% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 277 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 58.4% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 293 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Lamar Advertising by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Lamar Advertising by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 701 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 93.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamar Advertising Price Performance

Lamar Advertising stock traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $118.99. 84,221 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 504,716. Lamar Advertising has a 12-month low of $99.84 and a 12-month high of $139.88. The company has a market capitalization of $12.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71 and a beta of 1.38. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $112.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $122.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 30.20% and a net margin of 16.40%. The business had revenue of $505.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $509.72 million. Analysts forecast that Lamar Advertising will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $1.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Lamar Advertising's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.21%. Lamar Advertising's payout ratio is 150.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on LAMR shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Lamar Advertising from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on Lamar Advertising from $121.76 to $128.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lamar Advertising from $129.00 to $126.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamar Advertising presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $132.60.

About Lamar Advertising

Lamar Advertising Company operates as an outdoor advertising company in the United States and Canada. The company owns and operates billboards, logo signs, and transit advertising displays, as well as rents space for advertising on billboards, buses, shelters, benches, logo plates, and in airport terminals.