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

Key Points

• Analysts remain positive on OUTFRONT Media, with seven covering firms giving it an average "Moderate Buy" rating. The consensus 1-year target price is about $30.71, though one analyst recently cut the stock to hold.
• Recent earnings topped expectations, as the company reported $0.34 EPS versus the $0.28 estimate and posted 10% year-over-year revenue growth to $429.6 million. Analysts now expect full-year EPS of 2.08.
• OUTFRONT Media also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 3.7%. However, the payout ratio is high at 114.29%, which may warrant attention.

OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.7143.

A number of research firms have issued reports on OUT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of OUTFRONT Media from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barrington Research set a $38.00 target price on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 target price on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Insider Transactions at OUTFRONT Media

In other OUTFRONT Media news, EVP Matthew Siegel sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.79, for a total transaction of $1,289,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 289,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,477,165.75. The trade was a 14.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.93, for a total transaction of $303,528.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 36,244 shares in the company, valued at $976,050.92. The trade was a 23.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of OUTFRONT Media

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in OUT. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 226.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,310,195 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603,315 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,654,899 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $545,983,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131,954 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,788,695 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,192,000 after purchasing an additional 822,845 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,705,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 199.9% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 905,641 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,826,000 after purchasing an additional 603,694 shares in the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE OUT opened at $32.67 on Thursday. OUTFRONT Media has a one year low of $15.45 and a one year high of $34.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 31.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.50.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.06. OUTFRONT Media had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 30.36%. The business had revenue of $429.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $431.44 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that OUTFRONT Media will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

OUTFRONT Media Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. OUTFRONT Media's payout ratio is presently 114.29%.

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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