Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Acquires 2,796 Shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI boosted its position in shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 73.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 2,796 shares during the quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Lamar Advertising were worth $883,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Lamar Advertising Stock Performance

LAMR opened at $136.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $127.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.75. Lamar Advertising has a 1-year low of $79.94 and a 1-year high of $139.88.

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

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th were given a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. This is a positive change from Lamar Advertising’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 114.99%.

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.