AMT vs. LAMR: American Tower vs. Lamar Advertising Stock Comparison

Company Profile

American Tower (AMT) and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) both belong to the Specialized REITs industry, though AMT is classified under Telecom Tower REITs while LAMR falls under Other Specialized REITs.

Both American Tower (AMT) and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both American Tower (AMT) at 32.96% and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 56.42% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

Neither American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Lamar Advertising (LAMR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both American Tower (AMT) at 5.11% and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 2.68% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Lamar Advertising (LAMR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both American Tower (AMT) at 0.35 and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 0.59 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Debt sits unusually high against shareholders’ equity for both American Tower (AMT) at 4.64 and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 4.82 — each debt-to-equity ratio is above its industry benchmark range.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both American Tower (AMT) at 3.64% and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 4.07% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Lamar Advertising (LAMR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Lamar Advertising (LAMR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

On P/S ratio, both American Tower (AMT) at 7.95 and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 6.70 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Measured against book value, both American Tower (AMT) at 24.92 and Lamar Advertising (LAMR) at 15.58 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

Valuation Metrics