OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on OUT. Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 price target on OUTFRONT Media in a report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Barrington Research set a $38.00 price objective on OUTFRONT Media in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.71.

OUTFRONT Media Price Performance

OUT opened at $33.23 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.48. OUTFRONT Media has a 52-week low of $16.64 and a 52-week high of $34.96.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.06. OUTFRONT Media had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 30.36%. The firm had revenue of $429.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $431.44 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that OUTFRONT Media will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

OUTFRONT Media Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. OUTFRONT Media’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 114.29%.

Insider Transactions at OUTFRONT Media

In related news, EVP Richard H. Sauer sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.08, for a total transaction of $160,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 56,947 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,826,859.76. The trade was a 8.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP James Michael Norton bought 4,130 shares of OUTFRONT Media stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $30.81 per share, with a total value of $127,245.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 4,130 shares in the company, valued at $127,245.30. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $629,600. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of OUTFRONT Media

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 51,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,048 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in OUTFRONT Media by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,682 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $209,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in OUTFRONT Media by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 21,383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in OUTFRONT Media by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 33,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $801,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter.

About OUTFRONT Media

OUTFRONT Media Inc is a leading out-of-home (OOH) advertising company offering a broad range of billboard, transit and digital display solutions across major urban markets in the United States and Canada. Its portfolio encompasses traditional static billboards, high-resolution digital signage, transit media on buses, trains and taxis, as well as street furniture placements such as bus shelters, kiosks and urban panels. The company partners with brand marketers to deliver high-impact campaigns that engage consumers outside the home environment.

Through an extensive network of assets in key metropolitan areas, OUTFRONT provides advertisers with premium visibility along highways, city streets and transit corridors.