OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of OUTFRONT Media from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on OUTFRONT Media from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th.

Insider Activity at OUTFRONT Media

In other OUTFRONT Media news, EVP Matthew Siegel sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.84, for a total transaction of $696,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 264,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,375,512. This trade represents a 8.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Mark Emilio Bonanni sold 3,385 shares of OUTFRONT Media stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.82, for a total value of $100,940.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $310,724.40. The trade was a 24.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On OUTFRONT Media

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in OUTFRONT Media by 6.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,211,619 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $58,603,000 after purchasing an additional 133,960 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 24.1% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 177,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,698,000 after purchasing an additional 34,403 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 102.1% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 342,195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,068,000 after purchasing an additional 172,879 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the second quarter worth $1,657,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 199.5% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 109,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,900,000 after buying an additional 72,891 shares during the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:OUT opened at $31.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50. OUTFRONT Media has a 12-month low of $16.97 and a 12-month high of $34.96.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.30. OUTFRONT Media had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 37.44%. The firm had revenue of $522.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $509.61 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that OUTFRONT Media will post 2.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

OUTFRONT Media Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th were paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 4th. This is an increase from OUTFRONT Media’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. OUTFRONT Media’s payout ratio is currently 94.96%.

About OUTFRONT Media

OUTFRONT Media Inc (NYSE: OUT) is an out-of-home media company that provides advertising services through a portfolio of billboard, transit and other outdoor advertising assets. The company helps advertisers reach consumers in high-traffic locations, including roads, urban centers, public transportation systems and other public spaces.

Its offerings include traditional printed billboards, digital billboards, transit displays and place-based media. OUTFRONT also provides related services such as media planning, creative support, audience analytics and technology-enabled advertising solutions, including digital and programmatic buying capabilities.

OUTFRONT primarily serves advertisers across the United States and Canada.