Bfsg LLC Buys New Shares in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,869 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $199,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LAMR. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Lamar Advertising by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,693,447 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $141,352,000 after purchasing an additional 512,182 shares in the last quarter. Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 129.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ranger Global Real Estate Advisors LLC now owns 477,140 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,827,000 after acquiring an additional 268,934 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 146.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 390,876 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,626,000 after acquiring an additional 232,135 shares in the last quarter. Makaira Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Makaira Partners LLC now owns 756,662 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $63,159,000 after acquiring an additional 182,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,233,000. 93.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamar Advertising Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of LAMR stock traded down $0.83 on Thursday, reaching $113.23. 33,707 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,296. The stock has a market cap of $11.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $114.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.20. Lamar Advertising has a 1-year low of $77.21 and a 1-year high of $121.99.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.49). Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 41.88% and a net margin of 23.49%. The business had revenue of $555.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $549.84 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lamar Advertising will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.59%. This is a boost from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is 107.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lamar Advertising news, CFO Jay Lecoryelle Johnson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $594,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,700. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 14.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on LAMR. StockNews.com raised Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lamar Advertising from $92.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Lamar Advertising from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th.

Lamar Advertising Profile

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.