Lamar Advertising Company First Quarter Earnings Sneak Peek

Lamar Advertising Company (NASDAQ:LAMR) will unveil its latest earnings on Thursday, May 3, 2012. Lamar Advertising is an outdoor advertising company in the United States that operates three types of outdoor advertising displays: billboards, logo signs, and transit advertising displays.

Lamar Advertising Company Earnings Preview Cheat Sheet

Wall St. Earnings Expectations: The average estimate of analysts is for a loss of 14 cents per share, a narrower loss from the year-earlier quarter net loss of 21 cents. During the past three months, the average estimate has moved down from a loss of 9 cents. Between one and three months ago, the average estimate moved down. It has been unchanged at a loss of 14 cents during the last month. Analysts are projecting profit to rise by 1200% versus last year to 26 cents.

Last quarter, the company came in at profit of 7 cents per share against a mean estimate of 0 cents per share, beating estimates after missing them in the previous quarter. In the third quarter of the last fiscal year, it missed forecasts by 3 cents.

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Wall St. Revenue Expectations: Analysts are projecting a rise of 3.7% in revenue from the year-earlier quarter to $264.7 million.

Analyst Ratings: Analysts seem relatively indifferent about Lamar Advertising Company with seven of 12 analysts surveyed maintaining a hold rating.

A Look Back: In the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year, the company swung to a profit of $6.4 million (7 cents a share) from a loss of $7.1 million (8 cents) a year earlier, beating analyst estimates. Revenue rose 4.6% to $288.2 million from $275.7 million.

Key Stats:

On the top line, the company is looking to build on four-straight revenue increases heading into this earnings announcement. Revenue rose 4.5% in the first quarter of the last fiscal year, 2.4% in the second quarter of the last fiscal year and 3.7% in the third quarter of the last fiscal year before increasing again in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year of the last fiscal year.

Stock Price Performance: Between April 23, 2012 and April 27, 2012, the stock price rose $2.55 (8.8%), from $28.86 to $31.41. The stock price saw one of its best stretches over the last year between February 2, 2012 and February 9, 2012, when shares rose for six straight days, increasing 11.4% (+$3.28) over that span. It saw one of its worst periods between July 22, 2011 and August 2, 2011 when shares fell for eight straight days, dropping 10.1% (-$2.74) over that span.

(Company fundamentals by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)

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