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

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from seven brokerages (six buys, one hold) with an average 1‑year price target of $27.86 and several firms (Wells Fargo, Barrington, TD Cowen) recently raising targets.
• Insiders sold shares in late March (Director Manuel Diaz sold 11,271 at $26.93; EVP Matthew Siegel sold 50,000 at $25.79 under a 10b5‑1 plan), even as institutions like Vanguard and Balyasny significantly increased holdings.
• Shares trade near their 52‑week high (~$31.71) with a market cap of $5.58B and a high valuation (P/E ~39.6); the company missed quarterly EPS ($0.55 vs. $0.71) and pays a $1.20 annual dividend (yield ~3.8%) with a 150% payout ratio.

OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.8571.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of OUTFRONT Media from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. 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 report on Friday, February 27th. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $27.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Manuel A. Diaz sold 11,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 289,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,477,165.75. This trade represents a 14.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake 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 valued at $55,676,000 after acquiring an additional 1,603,315 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 5.3% during 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 during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 85.2% during 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 during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in OUTFRONT Media in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $13,705,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 199.9% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 905,641 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $21,826,000 after purchasing an additional 603,694 shares during the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:OUT opened at $31.71 on Friday. 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 moving average of $28.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.65. The stock has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.63, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.50. OUTFRONT Media has a 52-week low of $14.45 and a 52-week high of $31.76.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $511.61 million. OUTFRONT Media had a return on equity of 24.86% and a net margin of 8.03%. On average, research analysts expect that OUTFRONT Media will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

OUTFRONT Media Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. 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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