Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) Position Increased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 108.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 905,368 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 470,805 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned about 0.88% of Lamar Advertising worth $110,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Lamar Advertising by 45.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,974,848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $263,840,000 after buying an additional 617,356 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lamar Advertising in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,023,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 3rd quarter worth $43,665,000. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising by 631.7% during the 3rd quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 180,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,088,000 after purchasing an additional 155,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 129.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 235,267 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,432,000 after purchasing an additional 132,734 shares during the last quarter. 93.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamar Advertising Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LAMR opened at $125.28 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $124.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.99. The company has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49 and a beta of 1.53. Lamar Advertising has a twelve month low of $108.80 and a twelve month high of $139.88.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.74. The company had revenue of $579.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $583.19 million. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 30.20% and a net margin of 16.40%. Research analysts predict that Lamar Advertising will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.55 per share. This is an increase from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.95%. Lamar Advertising’s payout ratio is presently 175.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on LAMR. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Lamar Advertising from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $121.76 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lamar Advertising from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com cut Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $129.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $134.60.

Lamar Advertising Company 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.