OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE:OUT) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.23.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on OUT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on OUTFRONT Media from $22.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of OUTFRONT Media from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of OUTFRONT Media from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of OUTFRONT Media in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Richard H. Sauer sold 20,109 shares of OUTFRONT Media stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.88, for a total value of $319,330.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,124,875.68. This trade represents a 22.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of OUTFRONT Media

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in OUT. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in OUTFRONT Media in the fourth quarter valued at about $980,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its holdings in OUTFRONT Media by 247.7% during the fourth quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 677,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,026,000 after buying an additional 482,930 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in OUTFRONT Media by 28.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 346,544 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,148,000 after acquiring an additional 76,306 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of OUTFRONT Media during the 4th quarter worth $608,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of OUTFRONT Media by 1,484.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 60,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $971,000 after purchasing an additional 56,342 shares in the last quarter.

OUTFRONT Media Stock Performance

NYSE:OUT opened at $15.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.07. OUTFRONT Media has a twelve month low of $12.95 and a twelve month high of $19.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.37.

OUTFRONT Media (NYSE:OUT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The financial services provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.01). OUTFRONT Media had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $390.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.17 million. As a group, research analysts predict that OUTFRONT Media will post 1.59 EPS for the current year.

OUTFRONT Media Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.55%. OUTFRONT Media’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.95%.

About OUTFRONT Media

OUTFRONT Media, Inc leases advertising space on out-of-home advertising structures and sites. Its inventory consists of billboard displays, which are primarily located on the most heavily traveled highways & roadways, and transit advertising displays operated under exclusive multi-year contracts with municipalities in large cities across the U.S.