Amundi Raises Holdings in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Amundi increased its holdings in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 108.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,698 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,241 shares during the period. Amundi’s holdings in Lamar Advertising were worth $2,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carmel Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,060 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 19,259 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,442,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 3.4% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,552 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 701 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. 93.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamar Advertising Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:LAMR opened at $111.54 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.60 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $123.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.75. Lamar Advertising has a 12-month low of $108.80 and a 12-month high of $139.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.74. The firm had revenue of $579.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $583.19 million. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 30.20% and a net margin of 16.40%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamar Advertising will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $1.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.56%. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 175.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lamar Advertising from $129.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup raised their price target on Lamar Advertising from $121.76 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.60.

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.