Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Grows Stake in Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI raised its holdings in shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) by 73.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 2,796 shares during the period. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Lamar Advertising were worth $883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Lamar Advertising by 444.1% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 185 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lamar Advertising in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Lamar Advertising by 144.4% during the second 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 acquired a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamar Advertising in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.78% of the company’s stock.

Lamar Advertising Stock Performance

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

Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ:LAMR) last announced its quarterly 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). Lamar Advertising had a net margin of 23.34% and a return on equity of 42.18%. The company had revenue of $565.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lamar Advertising will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamar Advertising Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 18th were issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. 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 4.11%. Lamar Advertising’s dividend payout ratio is 114.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on LAMR shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of 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. TD Cowen upped their target price on Lamar Advertising from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lamar Advertising from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com raised Lamar Advertising from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Lamar Advertising from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.00.

About Lamar Advertising

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.