Boston Trust Walden Corp Buys 8,135 Shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 407,813 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,135 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.40% of Lamar Advertising worth $54,484,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Lamar Advertising by 444.1% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 185 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in Lamar Advertising by 144.4% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 93.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamar Advertising Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ LAMR traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $134.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 192,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,422. Lamar Advertising has a 12-month low of $79.94 and a 12-month high of $139.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market cap of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.32 and a beta of 1.52. The business’s 50 day moving average is $129.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.42.

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.67). The business had revenue of $565.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.96 million. Lamar Advertising had a return on equity of 42.18% and a net margin of 23.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lamar Advertising will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th were paid a $1.40 dividend. This is an increase from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is currently 113.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Lamar Advertising from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup cut Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. StockNews.com raised Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Lamar Advertising in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamar Advertising has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.00.

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.