Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 370,971 Shares of Lamar Advertising Company $LAMR

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 25.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,107,328 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 370,971 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Lamar Advertising were worth $140,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Lamar Advertising by 12,278.7% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,147,876 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $145,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138,603 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lamar Advertising during the fourth quarter worth about $104,705,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 123.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,475,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $177,152,000 after buying an additional 816,217 shares during the period. Egerton Capital UK LLP purchased a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising in the third quarter worth about $88,615,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 97.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 991,990 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $121,439,000 after buying an additional 490,463 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Lamar Advertising

In related news, EVP Ross Lamar Reilly sold 5,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.65, for a total transaction of $767,911.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,850 shares in the company, valued at $2,039,102.50. The trade was a 27.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 15.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lamar Advertising Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:LAMR opened at $150.93 on Friday. Lamar Advertising Company has a 1 year low of $113.66 and a 1 year high of $158.69. The company has a market cap of $15.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.85 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $139.97 and its 200 day moving average is $133.98.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.18. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 24.01%.The company had revenue of $528.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $522.86 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamar Advertising Company will post 8.41 EPS for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Lamar Advertising’s payout ratio is currently 118.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LAMR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Lamar Advertising in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $136.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 price objective on Lamar Advertising in a report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group set a $150.00 price objective on Lamar Advertising in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.00.

Lamar Advertising Profile

Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ: LAMR) is one of North America’s largest outdoor advertising firms, specializing in out-of-home media solutions. Since its founding in 1902, the company has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to offer a broad portfolio of advertising products. Its core business centers on billboard advertising, encompassing traditional static billboards and a rapidly expanding network of digital displays. These assets enable advertisers to reach consumers with high-impact messaging along highways, in urban centers, and at high-traffic intersections.

In addition to highway billboards, Lamar offers a variety of supplemental out-of-home formats, including transit advertising on buses and shelters, and logo signage at travel plazas and gas stations.