OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts place an average recommendation of Moderate Buy on OUTFRONT Media (6 buys, 1 hold) with a mean 12‑month price target of $27.86, and several firms recently raised targets as high as $33.
• Insiders have sold 72,542 shares in the past 90 days — including EVP Matthew Siegel's 50,000‑share sale under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan — leaving insider ownership at 0.47%.
• OUTFRONT missed quarterly EPS ($0.55 vs. $0.71 expected) and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.30 (annualized yield ~4.4%), but the dividend payout ratio is elevated at 150% while leverage (debt/equity) is high.

OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.8571.

Several analysts have recently commented on OUT shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on OUTFRONT Media from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen raised their target price on OUTFRONT Media from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research cut OUTFRONT Media from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised OUTFRONT Media from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $20.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their target price on OUTFRONT Media from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at OUTFRONT Media

In other news, EVP Matthew Siegel sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.79, for a total value of $1,289,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 289,925 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,477,165.75. This trade represents a 14.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Manuel A. Diaz sold 11,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.93, for a total value of $303,528.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 36,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $976,050.92. This trade represents a 23.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 72,542 shares of company stock valued at $1,869,055. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of OUTFRONT Media

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the third quarter worth $29,000. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the third quarter worth $33,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 157.6% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,339 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 16.5% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 582 shares in the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Stock Performance

OUT opened at $27.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 34.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.29. OUTFRONT Media has a fifty-two week low of $12.95 and a fifty-two week high of $29.27.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $513.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $511.61 million. OUTFRONT Media had a return on equity of 24.86% and a net margin of 8.03%. As a group, equities analysts predict that OUTFRONT Media will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

OUTFRONT Media Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. OUTFRONT Media's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 150.00%.

OUTFRONT Media Company Profile

OUTFRONT Media Inc is a leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising company offering a broad range of billboard, transit and digital display solutions across major urban markets in the United States and Canada. Its portfolio encompasses traditional static billboards, high-resolution digital signage, transit media on buses, trains and taxis, as well as street furniture placements such as bus shelters, kiosks and urban panels. The company partners with brand marketers to deliver high-impact campaigns that engage consumers outside the home environment.

Through an extensive network of assets in key metropolitan areas, OUTFRONT provides advertisers with premium visibility along highways, city streets and transit corridors.

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