UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-K

 

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

For the transition period from          to          

Commission File Number 1-36756

 

Lamar Advertising Company

 

Commission File Number 1-12407

 

Lamar Media Corp.

(Exact names of registrants as specified in their charters)

 

 

 

 

Registrants’ telephone number, including area code: (225) 926-1000

SECURITIES OF LAMAR ADVERTISING COMPANY

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

SECURITIES OF LAMAR ADVERTISING COMPANY

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None

SECURITIES OF LAMAR MEDIA CORP.

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

None

SECURITIES OF LAMAR MEDIA CORP.

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None

 

Indicate by check mark if Lamar Advertising Company is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if Lamar Advertising Company is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if Lamar Media Corp. is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if Lamar Media Corp. is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether each registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether each registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Date File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Lamar Advertising Company’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether Lamar Advertising Company is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “accelerated filer”, “large accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if Lamar Advertising Company has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether Lamar Media Corp. is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “accelerated filer”, “large accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if Lamar Media Corp. has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark if either registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of Lamar Advertising Company was $5,734,846,576  based on $68.31 per share as reported at the close of trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on June 29, 2018, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

As of June 29, 2018, the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of Lamar Media Corp. was $0.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuers’ classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

This combined Form 10-K is separately filed by (i) Lamar Advertising Company and (ii) Lamar Media Corp. (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lamar Advertising Company). Lamar Media Corp. meets the conditions set forth in general instruction I(1) (a) and (b) of Form 10-K and is, therefore, filing this form with the reduced disclosure format permitted by such instruction.

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

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NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information included in this report is forward-looking in nature within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This report uses terminology such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “expects,” “future,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this report include statements about: (i) our future financial performance and condition; (ii) our business plans, objectives, prospects, growth and operating strategies; (iii) our future capital expenditures and level of acquisition activity; (iv) our ability to integrate acquired assets and realize operating efficiency from acquisitions; (v) market opportunities and competitive positions; (vi) our future cash flows and expected cash requirements; (vii) expected timing and amount of distributions to our stockholders; (viii) estimated risks; (ix) our ability to maintain compliance with applicable covenants and restrictions included in Lamar Media Corp’s (“Lamar Media”) senior credit facility and the indentures relating to its outstanding notes; (x) stock price; and (xi) our ability to remain qualified as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”).

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors, including but not limited to the following, any of which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: (i) the state of the economy and financial markets generally and their effects on the markets in which we operate and the broader demand for advertising; (ii) the levels of expenditures on advertising in general and outdoor advertising in particular; (iii) risks and uncertainties relating to our significant indebtedness; (iv) the demand for outdoor advertising and its continued popularity as an advertising medium; (v) our need for, and ability to obtain, additional funding for acquisitions, operations and debt refinancing; (vi) increased competition within the outdoor advertising industry; (vii) the regulation of the outdoor advertising industry by federal, state and local governments; (viii) our ability to renew expiring contracts at favorable rates; (ix) the integration of businesses that we acquire and our ability to recognize cost savings and operating efficiencies as a result of these acquisitions; (x) our ability to successfully implement our digital deployment strategy; (xi) the market for our Class A common stock; (xii) changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; (xiii) our ability to effectively mitigate the threat of and damages caused by hurricanes and other kinds of severe weather; (xiv) our ability to maintain our status as a REIT; and (xv) changes in tax laws applicable to REITs or in the interpretation of those laws.

The forward-looking statements in this report are based on our current good faith beliefs; however, actual results may differ due to inaccurate assumptions, the factors listed above or other foreseeable or unforeseeable factors. Consequently, we cannot guarantee that any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The forward-looking statements in this report speak only as of the date of this report, and Lamar Advertising Company and Lamar Media Corp. expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this report, except as required by law.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

The industry and market data presented throughout this report are based on the experience and estimates of our management and the data in reports issued by third-parties, including the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA). In each case, we believe this industry and market data is reasonable. We have not, however, independently verified the industry and market data derived from third-party sources, and no independent source has verified the industry and market data derived from management’s experience and estimates.

PART I

GENERAL

Lamar Advertising Company is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the United States based on number of displays and has operated under the Lamar name since 1902. We operate in a single operating and reporting segment, advertising. We lease space for advertising on billboards, buses, shelters, benches, logo plates and in airport terminals. We offer our customers a fully integrated service, satisfying all aspects of their billboard display requirements from ad copy production to placement and maintenance.

We operate three types of outdoor advertising displays: billboards, logo signs and transit advertising displays.

 

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Billboards. As of December 31, 2018, we owned and operated approximately 156,900 billboard advertising displays in 45 states and Canada. We lease most of our advertising space on two types of billboards: bulletins and posters.

In addition to traditional billboards, we also lease space on digital billboards, which are generally located on major traffic arteries and city streets. As of December 31, 2018, we owned and operated over 3,100 digital billboard advertising displays in 43 states and Canada.

Logo signs. We lease advertising space on logo signs located near highway exits.

We are the largest provider of logo signs in the United States, operating 23 of the 25 privatized state logo sign contracts. As of December 31, 2018, we operated approximately 149,000 logo sign advertising displays in 23 states and Canada.

Transit advertising displays. We also lease advertising space on the exterior and interior of public transportation vehicles, in airport terminals, and on transit shelters and benches in over 80 markets. As of December 31, 2018, we operated over 53,300 transit advertising displays in 22 states and Canada.

CORPORATE HISTORY

We have operated under the Lamar name since our founding in 1902 and have been publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol “LAMR” since 1996. We completed a reorganization on July 20, 1999 that created a holding company structure. At that time, the operating company (then called Lamar Advertising Company) was renamed Lamar Media Corp., and all of the operating company’s stockholders became stockholders of a new holding company. The new holding company then took the Lamar Advertising Company name, and Lamar Media Corp. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Lamar Advertising Company.

During 2014, we completed a reorganization in order to qualify as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for federal income tax purposes. As part of the plan to reorganize our business operations so that we could elect to qualify as a REIT for the taxable year ended December 31, 2014, we completed a merger with our predecessor that was approved by our stockholders on November 17, 2014. At the time of the merger each outstanding share of our predecessor’s Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Series AA preferred stock was converted into the right to receive an equal number of shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Series AA preferred stock of the surviving corporation, respectively. Accordingly, references herein to our Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Series AA preferred stock refer to our capital stock and the capital stock of our predecessor, as applicable. We hold and operate certain assets through one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). The non-REIT qualified businesses that we hold through TRSs include most of our transit and foreign operations.

We may, from time to time, change the election of previously designated TRSs to be treated as qualified REIT subsidiaries or other disregarded entities (“QRSs”), and may reorganize and transfer certain assets or operations from our TRSs to other subsidiaries, including QRSs.

In this Annual Report, unless the context otherwise requires, we refer to Lamar Advertising Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (and its predecessor and its consolidated subsidiaries), as applicable, as the “Company”, “Lamar Advertising” or “we”, we refer to Lamar Advertising’s wholly owned subsidiary Lamar Media Corp. as “Lamar Media.”

OPERATING STRATEGIES

We strive to be a leading provider of outdoor advertising services in each of the markets that we serve, and our operating strategies for achieving that goal include:

Continuing to provide high quality local sales and service. We seek to identify and closely monitor the needs of our tenants and to provide them with a full complement of high quality advertising services. Local advertising constituted approximately 76% of our net revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018, which management believes is higher than the industry average. We believe that the experience of our regional, territory and local managers has contributed greatly to our success. For example, our regional managers have been with us for an average of 33 years. In an effort to provide high quality

 

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sales and service at the local level, we employed over 1,050 local account executives as of December 31, 2018. Local account executives are typically supported by additional local staff and have the ability to draw upon the resources of our central office, as well as our offices in other markets, in the event business opportunities or customers’ needs support such an allocation of resources.

Continuing a centralized control and decentralized management structure. Our management believes that, for our particular business, centralized control and a decentralized organization provide for greater economies of scale and are more responsive to local market demands. Therefore, we maintain centralized accounting and financial control over our local operations, but our local managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations in each local market and are compensated according to that market’s financial performance.

Continuing to focus on internal growth. Within our existing markets we seek to increase our revenue and improve cash flow by employing highly-targeted local marketing efforts to improve our display occupancy rates and by increasing advertising rates where and when demand can absorb rate increases. Our local offices spearhead this effort and respond to local customer demands quickly.

In addition, we routinely invest in upgrading our existing displays and constructing new displays. Since January 1, 2008, we invested approximately $1.2 billion in capitalized expenditures, which include improvements to our existing real estate portfolio and the construction of new locations. Our regular improvement and expansion of our advertising display inventory allows us to provide high quality service to our current tenants and to attract new tenants.

Continuing to pursue other outdoor advertising opportunities. We plan to renew existing logo sign contracts and pursue additional logo sign contracts. Logo sign opportunities arise periodically, both from states initiating new logo sign programs and states converting from government-owned and operated programs to privately-owned and operated programs. Furthermore, we plan to pursue additional tourist oriented directional sign programs in both the United States and Canada and also other motorist information signing programs as opportunities present themselves. In addition, in an effort to maintain market share, we continue to pursue attractive transit advertising opportunities as they become available.

Reinvesting in capital expenditures including digital technology. We have a history of investing in capital expenditures, particularly in our digital platform. We spent approximately $117.6 million in total capital expenditures in fiscal 2018, of which approximately $45.9 million was spent on digital technology. We expect our 2019 capitalized expenditures to closely approximate our spending in 2018.

CAPITAL ALLOCATION STRATEGY

The objective of our capital allocation strategy is to simultaneously increase adjusted funds from operations and our return on invested capital. To maintain our REIT status we are required to distribute to our stockholders annually an amount equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. After complying with our REIT distribution requirements, we plan to continue to allocate our available capital among investment alternatives that meet our return on investment criteria. During 2018, we generated $564.8 million of cash from operating activities, which was used to fund capital expenditures, dividends to our shareholders and partially fund acquisitions.

COMPANY OPERATIONS

Billboard Advertising

We lease most of our advertising space on two types of billboard advertising displays: bulletins and posters. As of December 31, 2018, we owned and operated approximately 156,900 billboard advertising displays in 45 states and Canada.  In 2018, we derived approximately 75% of our billboard advertising net revenues from bulletin rentals and 25% from poster rentals.

Bulletins are large, advertising structures (the most common size is fourteen feet high by forty-eight feet wide, or 672 square feet) consisting of panels on which advertising copy is displayed. We wrap advertising copy printed with computer-generated graphics

 

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on a single sheet of vinyl around the structure. To attract more attention, some of the panels may extend beyond the linear edges of the display face and may include three-dimensional embellishments. Because of their greater impact and higher cost, bulletins are usually located on major highways and target vehicular traffic. At December 31, 2018, we operated approximately 75,180 bulletin displays.

We generally lease individually-selected bulletin space to advertisers for the duration of the contract (ranging from 4 to 52 weeks). We also lease bulletins as part of a rotary plan under which we rotate the advertising copy from one bulletin location to another within a particular market at stated intervals (usually every sixty to ninety days) to achieve greater reach within that market.

Posters are smaller advertising structures (the most common size is eleven feet high by twenty-three feet wide, or 250 square feet; we also operate junior posters, which are five feet high by eleven feet wide, or 55 square feet). Poster panels utilize a single flexible sheet of polyethylene material that inserts onto the face of the panel. Posters are concentrated on major traffic arteries and target vehicular traffic, and junior posters are concentrated on city streets and target hard-to-reach pedestrian traffic and nearby residents. At December 31, 2018, we operated approximately 81,720 poster displays.

We generally lease poster space for 4 to 26 weeks; determined by the advertiser’s campaign needs.  Posters are sold in packages of Target Rating Point (“TRP”) levels, which determine the percentage of a target audience an advertiser needs to reach.  A package may include a combination of poster locations in order to meet reach and frequency campaign goals.

In addition to the traditional static displays, we also rent digital billboards. Digital billboards are large electronic light emitting diode (“LED”) displays (the most common sizes are fourteen feet high by forty-eight feet wide, or 672 square feet; ten and a half feet high by thirty six feet wide, or 378 square feet; and ten feet high by twenty-one feet wide, or 210 square feet) that are generally located on major traffic arteries and city streets. Digital billboards are capable of generating over one billion colors and vary in brightness based on ambient conditions. They display completely digital advertising copy from various advertisers in a slide show fashion, rotating each advertisement approximately every 6 to 8 seconds.  At December 31, 2018, our inventory included over 3,100 digital display billboards in various markets.  These 3,100 digital billboards generated approximately 24% of billboard advertising net revenue.

We own the physical structures on which the advertising copy is displayed. We build the structures on locations we either own or lease. In each local office, one employee typically performs site leasing activities for the markets served by that office. See Item 2. — “Properties.”

In the majority of our markets, our local production staffs perform the full range of activities required to create and install billboard advertising displays. Production work includes creating the advertising copy design and layout, coordinating its printing and installing the designs on the displays. Our talented design staff uses state-of-the-art technology to prepare creative, eye-catching displays for our tenants. We can also help with the strategic placement of advertisements throughout an advertiser’s market by using software that allows us to analyze the target audience and its demographics. Our artists also assist in developing marketing presentations, demonstrations and strategies to attract new tenant advertisers.

In marketing billboard displays to advertisers, we compete with other forms of out-of-home advertising and other media. When selecting the media and provider through which to advertise, advertisers consider a number of factors and advertising providers, which are described in the section entitled — “Competition” below.

Logo Sign Advertising

We entered the logo sign advertising business in 1988 and have become the largest provider of logo sign services in the United States, operating 23 of the 25 privatized state logo contracts. We erect logo signs, which generally advertise nearby gas, food, camping, lodging and other attractions, and directional signs, which direct vehicle traffic to nearby services and tourist attractions, near highway exits. As of December 31, 2018, we operated approximately 45,360 logo sign structures containing approximately 149,000 logo advertising displays in the United States and Canada.

We operate the logo sign contracts in the province of Ontario, Canada and in the following states:

 

 

 

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We also operate the tourist oriented directional signing (“TODS”) programs for the states of Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and the province of Ontario, Canada.

Our logo and TODS operations are decentralized. Generally, each office is staffed with an experienced local general manager, local sales and office staff and a local signing sub-contractor. This decentralization allows the management staff of Interstate Logos, L.L.C. (the subsidiary that operates all of the logo and directional sign-related businesses) to travel extensively to the various operations and serve in a technical and management advisory capacity and monitor regulatory and contract compliance. We also run a silk screening operation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a display construction company in Atlanta, Georgia.

State logo sign contracts represent the exclusive right to erect and operate logo signs within a state for a period of time. The terms of the contracts vary, but generally range from five to ten years, with additional renewal terms. Each logo sign contract generally allows the state to terminate the contract prior to its expiration and, in most cases, with compensation for the termination to be paid to the Company. When a logo sign contract expires, we transfer ownership of the advertising structures to the state. Depending on the contract, we may or may not be entitled to compensation at that time. Of our 24 logo sign contracts in place, in the United States and Canada, at December 31, 2018, six are subject to renewal or expiration in 2019.

States usually award new logo sign contracts and renew expiring logo sign contracts through an open proposal process. In bidding for new and renewal contracts, we compete against other logo sign providers, as well as local companies based in the state soliciting proposals.

In marketing logo signs to advertisers, we compete with other forms of out-of-home advertising and other media. When selecting the media and provider through which to advertise, advertisers consider a number of factors and advertising providers which are described in the section entitled — “Competition” below.

Transit Advertising

We entered into the transit advertising business in 1993 as a way to complement our existing business and maintain market share in certain markets. Transit contracts are generally with the local municipalities and airport authorities and allow us the exclusive right to rent advertising space to customers, in airports and on buses, benches or shelters. The terms of the contracts vary but generally range between 3-15 years, many with renewable options for contract extension. We rent transit advertising displays in airport terminals and on bus shelters, benches and buses in over 80 transit markets, and our production staff provides a full range of creative and installation services to our transit advertising tenants. As of December 31, 2018, we operated over 53,300 transit advertising displays in 22 states and Canada.

Municipalities usually award new transit advertising contracts and renew expiring transit advertising contracts through an open bidding process. In bidding for new and renewal contracts, we compete against national outdoor advertising providers and local, on-premise sign providers and sign construction companies. Transit advertising operators incur significant start-up costs to build and install the advertising structures (such as transit shelters) upon being awarded contracts.

In marketing transit advertising displays to advertisers, we compete with other forms of out-of-home advertising and other media. When selecting the media and provider through which to advertise, advertisers consider a number of factors and advertising providers which are described in the section entitled — “Competition” below.

COMPETITION

Although the outdoor advertising industry has encountered a wave of consolidation, the industry remains fragmented. The industry is comprised of several large outdoor advertising and media companies with operations in multiple markets, as well as smaller, local companies operating a limited number of structures in one or a few local markets.

Although we primarily focus on small to mid-size markets where we can attain a strong market share, in each of our markets, we compete against other providers of outdoor advertising and other types of media, including:

 

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In selecting the form of media through which to advertise, advertisers evaluate their ability to target audiences having a specific demographic profile, lifestyle, brand or media consumption or purchasing behavior or audiences located in, or traveling through, a particular geography. Advertisers also compare the relative costs of available media, evaluating the number of impressions (potential viewings), exposure (the opportunity for advertising to be seen) and circulation (traffic volume in a market), as well as potential effectiveness, quality of related services (such as advertising copy design and layout) and customer service. In competing with other media, we believe that outdoor advertising is relatively more cost-efficient than other media, allowing advertisers to reach broader audiences and target specific geographic areas or demographic groups within markets.

We believe that our strong emphasis on sales and customer service and our position as a major provider of advertising services in each of our primary markets enables us to compete effectively with the other outdoor advertising companies, as well as with other media, within those markets.

 

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GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSIFICATION

Our advertising displays are geographically diversified across the United States and Canada. The following table sets forth information regarding the geographic diversification of our advertising displays, which are listed in order of contributions to total revenue. Markets with less than 1% of total displays are grouped in the category “all other United States and Puerto Rico”.

 

 

TAXABLE REIT SUBSIDIARIES

We hold and operate certain of our assets that cannot be held and operated directly by a REIT through taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs. A TRS is a subsidiary of a REIT that pays corporate taxes on its taxable income. The assets held in our TRSs primarily consist of our transit advertising business, advertising services business and our foreign operations. Our TRS assets and operations will continue to be subject, as applicable, to U.S. federal and state corporate income taxes. Furthermore, our assets and operations outside the United States will continue to be subject to foreign taxes in the jurisdictions in which those assets and operations are located. Net income from our TRSs will either be retained by our TRSs and used to fund their operations, or distributed to us, where it will be reinvested in our business or be available for distribution to Lamar Advertising’s stockholders. As of December 31, 2018, the annual revenue generated by our TRSs in the aggregate was approximately $288 million.

 

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ADVERTISING TENANTS

Our tenant base is diverse. The table below sets forth the ten industries from which we derived most of our billboard advertising revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018, as well as the percentage of billboard advertising revenues attributable to the advertisers in those industries. The individual advertisers in these industries accounted for approximately 75% of our billboard advertising net revenues in the year ended December 31, 2018. No individual tenant accounted for more than 2.0% of our billboard advertising net revenues in that period.

 

REGULATION

Outdoor advertising is subject to governmental regulation at the federal, state and local levels. Regulations generally restrict the size, spacing, lighting and other aspects of advertising structures and pose a significant barrier to entry and expansion in many markets.  Federal law, principally the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 (the “HBA”), regulates outdoor advertising on Federal — Aid Primary, Interstate and National Highway Systems roads. The HBA requires states, through the adoption of individual Federal/State agreements, to “effectively control” outdoor advertising along these roads, and mandates a state compliance program and state standards regarding size, spacing and lighting. These state standards, or their local and municipal equivalents, may be modified over time in response to legal challenges or otherwise, which may have an adverse effect on our business. The HBA requires any state or political subdivision that compels the removal of a lawful billboard along a Federal — Aid Primary or Interstate highway to pay just compensation to the billboard owner.

All states have passed billboard control statutes and regulations at least as restrictive as the federal requirements, including laws requiring the removal of illegal signs at the owner’s expense (and without compensation from the state). Although we believe that the number of our billboards that may be subject to removal as illegal is immaterial, and no state in which we operate has banned billboards entirely, from time to time governments have required us to remove signs and billboards legally erected in accordance with federal, state and local permit requirements and laws. Municipal and county governments generally also have sign controls as part of their zoning laws and building codes. We contest laws and regulations that we believe unlawfully restrict our constitutional or other legal rights and may adversely impact the growth of our outdoor advertising business.

Using federal funding for transportation enhancement programs, state governments have purchased and removed billboards for beautification, and may do so again in the future. Under the power of eminent domain, state or municipal governments have laid claim to property and forced the removal of billboards. Under a concept called amortization by which a governmental body asserts that a billboard operator has earned compensation by continued operation over time, local governments have attempted to force removal of legal but nonconforming billboards (i.e., billboards that conformed with applicable zoning regulations when built but which do not conform to current zoning regulations). Although the legality of amortization is questionable, it has been upheld in some instances. Often, municipal and county governments also have sign controls as part of their zoning laws, with some local governments prohibiting construction of new billboards or allowing new construction only to replace existing structures. Although we have generally been able to obtain satisfactory compensation for those of our billboards purchased or removed as a result of governmental action, there is no assurance that this will continue to be the case in the future.

We have also introduced and intend to continue to expand the deployment of digital billboards that display static digital advertising copy from various advertisers that change every 6 to 8 seconds. We have encountered some existing regulations that restrict or prohibit these types of digital displays but it has not yet materially impacted our digital deployment. Since digital billboards have been developed and introduced relatively recently into the market on a large scale, existing regulations that currently do not

 

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apply to them by their terms could be revised or new regulations could be enacted to impose greater restrictions. These regulations may impose greater restrictions on digital billboards due to alleged concerns over aesthetics or driver safety.

Relatively few large scale studies have been conducted to date regarding driver safety issues, if any, related to digital billboards. On December 30, 2013, the results of a study conducted by U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration that looked at the effect of digital billboards and conventional billboards on driver visual behavior were issued. The conclusions of the report indicated that the presence of digital billboards did not appear to be related to a decrease in looking toward the road ahead and were generally within acceptable thresholds. The report cautioned, however, that it adds to the knowledge base but does not present definitive answers to the research questions investigated. Accordingly, the results of this or other studies may result in regulations at the federal or state level that impose greater restrictions on digital billboards. Any new restrictions on digital billboards could have a material adverse effect on both our existing inventory of digital billboards and our plans to expand our digital deployment, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, we are involved in litigation in the ordinary course of business, including disputes involving advertising contracts, site leases, employment claims and construction matters. We are also involved in routine administrative and judicial proceedings regarding billboard permits, fees and compensation for condemnations. We are not a party to any lawsuit or proceeding which, in the opinion of management, is likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO

Our management headquarters is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We also own 128 local operating facilities with front office administration and sales office space connected to back-shop poster and bulletin production space. In addition, we lease an additional 134 operating facilities at an aggregate lease expense for 2018 of approximately $7.7 million.

We own over 7,600 parcels of property beneath our advertising displays. As of December 31, 2018, we leased over 73,300 outdoor sites, accounting for an annualized lease expense of approximately $267.4 million. This amount represented approximately 19% of billboard advertising net revenues for that period. These leases are for varying terms ranging from month-to-month to a term of over ten years, and many provide us with renewal options. Our lease agreements generally permit us to use the land for the construction, repair and relocation of outdoor advertising displays, including all rights necessary to access and maintain the site. Approximately 67% of our leases will expire or be subject to renewal in the next 5 years, 20% will expire or be subject to renewal in 6 to 10 years and 13% thereafter. There is no significant concentration of displays under any one lease or subject to negotiation with any one landlord. An important part of our management activity is to manage our lease portfolio and negotiate suitable lease renewals and extensions.

 

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The following table illustrates the number of leased and owned sites by state as of December 31, 2018, which is sorted from greatest to least in number and percentage of leased sites. States in which we lease less than 2% of our portfolio are grouped in the category “All Other States”.

 

CONTRACT EXPIRATIONS

We derive revenues primarily from renting advertising space to customers on our advertising displays. Our contracts with customers generally cover periods ranging from one week to one year and are generally billed every four weeks. Since contract terms are short-term in nature, we do not consider revenues by year of contract expiration to be meaningful.

EMPLOYEES

We employed approximately 3,600 people as of December 31, 2018. Approximately 260 employees were engaged in overall management and general administration at our management headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the remainder, including over 1,050 local account executives were employed in our operating offices.

Fifteen of our local offices employ billposters and construction personnel who are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our relationship with our employees, including our 115 unionized employees, is good, and we have never experienced a strike or work stoppage.

INFLATION

In the last three years, inflation has not had a significant impact on us.

SEASONALITY

Our revenues and operating results are subject to seasonality. Typically, we experience our strongest financial performance in the summer and fall, and our weakest financial performance in the first quarter of the calendar year, partly because retailers cut back their advertising spending immediately following the holiday shopping season. We expect this trend to continue in the future. Because a significant portion of our expenses is fixed, a reduction in revenues in any quarter is likely to result in a period-to-period decline in operating performance and net earnings.

 

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AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We make our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports available free of charge through our website, www.lamar.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing them with, or furnishing them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Information contained on the website is not part of this Annual Report.

The Company’s substantial debt may adversely affect its business, financial condition and financial results.

The Company has borrowed substantially in the past and will continue to borrow in the future. At December 31, 2018, Lamar Advertising Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Lamar Media, had approximately $2.889 billion of total debt outstanding, net of deferred financing costs, consisting of approximately $1.280 billion in bank debt outstanding under Lamar Media’s senior credit facility, $531.0 million in senior subordinated notes, $901.0 million in various series of senior notes, $173.8 million under the Accounts Receivable Securitization Program and $3.5 million in other seller notes. Despite the level of debt presently outstanding, the terms of the indentures governing Lamar Media’s notes and the terms of the senior credit facility allow Lamar Media to incur substantially more debt, including approximately $156.8 million available for borrowing as of December 31, 2018 under the revolving senior credit facility.

The Company’s substantial debt and its use of cash flow from operations to make principal and interest payments on its debt may, among other things:

Any of these problems could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and financial results.

Restrictions in the Company’s and Lamar Media’s debt agreements reduce operating flexibility and contain covenants and restrictions that create the potential for defaults, which could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and financial results.

The terms of Lamar Media’s senior credit facility and the indentures relating to Lamar Media’s outstanding notes restrict the ability of the Company and Lamar Media to, among other things:

 

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At December 31, 2018, the terms of Lamar Media’s senior credit facility and of our Accounts Receivable Securitization Program also restrict the Company from exceeding a specified secured debt ratio.  Lamar Media is also subject to certain other financial covenants relating to the incurrence of additional debt. Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a description of the specific financial ratio requirements under the senior credit facility.

The Company’s ability to comply with the financial covenants in the senior credit facility, Accounts Receivable Securitization Program and the indentures governing Lamar Media’s outstanding notes (and to comply with similar covenants in any future agreements) depends on its operating performance, which in turn depends significantly on prevailing economic, financial and business conditions and other factors that are beyond the Company’s control. Therefore, despite its best efforts and execution of its strategic plan, the Company may be unable to comply with these financial covenants in the future.

The Company is currently in compliance with all financial covenants. However, if in the future there are economic declines the Company can make no assurance that these declines will not negatively impact the Company’s financial results and, in turn, its ability to meet these financial covenant requirements. If Lamar Media fails to comply with its financial covenants, the lenders under the senior credit facility and the Accounts Receivable Securitization Program could accelerate all of the debt outstanding, which would create serious financial problems and could lead to a default under the indentures governing Lamar Media’s outstanding notes. Any of these events could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and financial results.

In addition, these restrictions reduce the Company’s operating flexibility and could prevent the Company from exploiting investment, acquisition, marketing, or other time-sensitive business opportunities.

The Company’s revenues are sensitive to the state of the economy and the financial markets generally and other external events beyond the Company’s control.

The Company rents advertising space on outdoor structures to generate revenues. Advertising spending is particularly sensitive to changes in economic conditions.

Additionally, the occurrence of any of the following external events could further depress the Company’s revenues:

The Company’s growth through acquisitions may be difficult, which could adversely affect our future financial performance. In addition, if we are unable to successfully integrate any completed acquisitions, our financial performance would also be adversely affected.

The Company has historically grown through acquisitions. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we completed acquisitions for a total cash purchase price of approximately $477.4 million. We intend to continue to evaluate strategic acquisition opportunities as they arise.

The future success of our acquisition strategy could be adversely affected by many factors, including the following:

 

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These obstacles to our opportunistic acquisition strategy may have an adverse effect on our future financial results.

The Company could suffer losses due to asset impairment charges for goodwill and other intangible assets.

The Company tested goodwill for impairment on December 31, 2018. Based on the Company’s review at December 31, 2018, no impairment charge was required. The Company continues to assess whether factors or indicators become apparent that would require an interim impairment test between our annual impairment test dates. For instance, if our market capitalization is below our equity book value for a period of time without recovery, we believe there is a strong presumption that would indicate a triggering event has occurred and it is more likely than not that the fair value of one or both of our reporting units are below their carrying amount. This would require us to test the reporting units for impairment of goodwill. If this presumption cannot be overcome a reporting unit could be impaired under ASC 350 “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” and a non-cash charge would be required. Any such charge could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s net earnings.

The Company faces competition from larger and more diversified outdoor advertisers and other forms of advertising that could hurt its performance.

While the Company enjoys a significant market share in many of its small and medium-sized markets, the Company faces competition from other outdoor advertisers and other media in all of its markets. Although the Company is one of the largest companies focusing exclusively on outdoor advertising in a relatively fragmented industry, it competes against larger companies with diversified operations, such as television, radio and other broadcast media. These diversified competitors have the advantage of cross-selling complementary advertising products to advertisers.

The Company also competes against an increasing variety of out-of-home advertising media, such as advertising displays in shopping centers, malls, airports, stadiums, movie theaters and supermarkets, and on taxis, trains and buses. To a lesser extent, the Company also faces competition from other forms of media, including radio, newspapers, direct mail advertising, telephone directories and the Internet. The industry competes for advertising revenue along the following dimensions: exposure (the number of “impressions” an advertisement makes), advertising rates (generally measured in cost-per-thousand impressions), ability to target specific demographic groups or geographies, effectiveness, quality of related services (such as advertising copy design and layout) and customer service. The Company may be unable to compete successfully along these dimensions in the future, and the competitive pressures that the Company faces could adversely affect its profitability or financial performance.

Federal, state and local regulation impact the Company’s operations, financial condition and financial results.

Outdoor advertising is subject to governmental regulation at the federal, state and local levels. Regulations generally restrict the size, spacing, lighting and other aspects of advertising structures and pose a significant barrier to entry and expansion in many markets.  Federal law, principally the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, or the HBA, regulates outdoor advertising on Federal — Aid Primary, Interstate and National Highway Systems roads. The HBA requires states, through the adoption of individual Federal/State Agreements, to “effectively control” outdoor advertising along these roads, and mandates a state compliance program and state standards regarding size, spacing and lighting. These state standards, or their local and municipal equivalents, may be modified over time in response to legal challenges or otherwise, which may have an adverse effect on our business.  The HBA requires any state or political subdivision that compels the removal of a lawful billboard along a Federal — Aid Primary or Interstate highway to pay just compensation to the billboard owner.

All states have passed billboard control statutes and regulations at least as restrictive as the federal requirements, including laws requiring the removal of illegal signs at the owner’s expense (and without compensation from the state). Although the Company believes that the number of our billboards that may be subject to removal as illegal is immaterial, and no state in which we operate has banned billboards entirely, from time to time governments have required us to remove signs and billboards legally erected in accordance with federal, state and local permit requirements and laws. Municipal and county governments generally also have sign controls as part of their zoning laws and building codes. We contest laws and regulations that we believe unlawfully restrict our constitutional or other legal rights and may adversely impact the growth of our outdoor advertising business.

Using federal funding for transportation enhancement programs, state governments have purchased and removed billboards for beautification, and may do so again in the future. Under the power of eminent domain, state or municipal governments have laid claim to property and forced the removal of billboards. Under a concept called amortization by which a governmental body asserts that a billboard operator has earned compensation by continued operation over time, local governments have attempted to force removal of

 

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legal but nonconforming billboards (i.e., billboards that conformed to applicable zoning regulations when built but which do not conform to current zoning regulations). Although the legality of amortization is questionable, it has been upheld in some instances. Often, municipal and county governments also have sign controls as part of their zoning laws, with some local governments prohibiting construction of new billboards or allowing new construction only to replace existing structures. Although we have generally been able to obtain satisfactory compensation for those of our billboards purchased or removed as a result of governmental action, there is no assurance that this will continue to be the case in the future.

We have also introduced and intend to expand the deployment of digital billboards that display static digital advertising copy from various advertisers that change every 6 to 8 seconds. We have encountered some existing regulations that restrict or prohibit these types of digital displays but it has not yet materially impacted our digital deployment. Since digital billboards have been developed and introduced relatively recently into the market on a large scale, however, existing regulations that currently do not apply to them by their terms could be revised or new regulations could be enacted to impose greater restrictions. These regulations may impose greater restrictions on digital billboards due to alleged concerns over aesthetics or driver safety.

Relatively few large scale studies have been conducted to date regarding driver safety issues, if any, related to digital billboards. On December 30, 2013, the results of a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration that looked at the effect of digital billboards and conventional billboards on driver visual behavior were issued. The conclusions of the report indicated that the presence of digital billboards did not appear to be related to a decrease in looking toward the road ahead and were generally within acceptable thresholds. The report cautioned, however, that it adds to the knowledge base but does not present definitive answers to the research questions investigated. Accordingly, the results of this or other studies may result in regulations at the federal or state level that impose greater restrictions on digital billboards. Any new restrictions on digital billboards could have a material adverse effect on both our existing inventory of digital billboards and our plans to expand our digital deployment, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company’s logo sign contracts are subject to state award and renewal.

In 2018, the Company generated approximately 5% of its revenues from state-awarded logo sign contracts. In bidding for these contracts, the Company competes against other national logo sign providers as well as numerous smaller local logo sign providers. A logo sign provider incurs significant start-up costs upon being awarded a new contract. These contracts generally have a term of five to ten years, with additional renewal periods. Some states reserve the right to terminate a contract early, and most contracts require the state to pay compensation to the logo sign provider for early termination. At the end of the contract term, the logo sign provider transfers ownership of the logo sign structures to the state. Depending on the contract, the logo provider may or may not be entitled to compensation for the structures at the end of the contract term.

Of the Company’s 24 logo sign contracts in place at December 31, 2018, six are subject to renewal or expiration in 2019. The Company may be unable to renew its expiring contracts. The Company may also lose the bidding on new contracts.

The Company is controlled by significant stockholders who have the power to determine the outcome of all matters submitted to the stockholders for approval and whose interest in the Company may be different than yours.

As of December 31, 2018, members of the Reilly family, including Kevin P. Reilly, Jr., the Company’s Chairman and President, and Sean Reilly, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and their affiliates, owned in the aggregate approximately 15% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, assuming the conversion of all Class B common stock to Class A common stock. As of that date, their combined holdings represented approximately 63% of the voting power of Lamar Advertising’s outstanding capital stock, which would give the Reilly family and their affiliates the power to:

The Reilly family may have interests that are different than yours in making these decisions.

If the Company’s contingency plans relating to hurricanes and other natural disasters fail, the resulting losses could hurt the Company’s business.

The Company has determined that it is uneconomical to insure against losses resulting from hurricanes and other natural disasters. Although the Company has developed contingency plans designed to mitigate the threat posed by hurricanes and other forms

 

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of inclement weather to its real estate portfolio (e.g., removing advertising faces at the onset of a storm, when possible, which better permits the structures to withstand high winds during the storm), these plans could fail and significant losses could result.

If Lamar Advertising fails to remain qualified as a REIT, both Lamar Advertising and Lamar Media would be taxed as regular C corporations and would not be able to deduct distributions to the stockholders of Lamar Advertising when computing their taxable income.

Lamar Advertising elected to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes starting with its taxable year ended December 31, 2014 and for each subsequent taxable year thereafter.  REIT qualification involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”) to Lamar Advertising’s assets and operations as well as various factual determinations concerning matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. There are limited judicial or administrative interpretations of these provisions. Although Lamar Advertising plans to operate in a manner consistent with the REIT qualification rules, the Company cannot assure you that it will so qualify or remain so qualified. Lamar Media is treated as a qualified REIT subsidiary of Lamar Advertising that is disregarded as separate from its parent REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If, in any taxable year, Lamar Advertising fails to qualify for taxation as a REIT, and is not entitled to relief under the Code:

Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for required distributions to Lamar Advertising’s stockholders, may require it to borrow funds (under Lamar Media’s senior credit facility or otherwise) or liquidate some investments to pay any such additional tax liability. This adverse impact could last for five or more years because, unless it is entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, it will be taxable as a corporation, beginning in the year in which the failure occurs, and it will not be allowed to re-elect to be taxed as a REIT for the following four years.

Even if it qualifies as a REIT, certain of Lamar Advertising’s and its subsidiaries’ business activities will be subject to U.S. and foreign taxes which will continue to reduce its cash flows, and it will have potential deferred and contingent tax liabilities.

Even if it qualifies as a REIT, Lamar Advertising may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes and foreign taxes on its income and assets, including any applicable state-level alternative minimum taxes, taxes on any undistributed income, and state, local or foreign income, franchise, property and transfer taxes. In addition, the Company could in certain circumstances be required to pay an excise or penalty tax, which could be significant in amount, in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Code to maintain qualification for taxation as a REIT.

In order to maintain its qualification as a REIT, the Company holds certain of its non-qualifying REIT assets and receives certain non-qualifying items of income through one or more TRSs. These non-qualifying REIT assets consist principally of the Company’s advertising services business and its transit advertising business. Those TRS assets and operations will continue to be subject, as applicable, to U.S. federal and state corporate income taxes. Furthermore, the Company’s assets and operations outside the United States are subject to foreign taxes in the jurisdictions in which those assets and operations are located. In addition, the Company may incur a 100% excise tax on transactions with a TRS if they are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. Any of these taxes would decrease the Company’s earnings and its cash available for distributions to stockholders.

The Company was subject to a U.S. federal income tax at the highest regular corporate rate (currently 21%) on all or a portion of the gain recognized from a sale of assets occurring within five years after the effective date of our REIT conversion, to the extent of the built-in gain based on the fair market value of those assets held by the Company on the effective date of REIT conversion in excess of the Company’s then tax basis in those assets. Such five-year period has expired with respect to the Company but certain tax years for which this rule applied remain open such that additional taxes could be assessed with respect to sales in those tax years. The same rules apply to any assets we acquire from a “C” corporation in a carry-over basis transaction with built-in gain at the time of the acquisition by us. Gain from a sale of an asset occurring after the specified period ends will not be subject to this corporate level tax.

In addition, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and any state or local tax authority may successfully assert liabilities against the Company for corporate income taxes for taxable years of Lamar Advertising prior to the effective time of the REIT election, in which case the Company will owe these taxes (the federal corporate tax rate for tax years beginning prior to January 1, 2018 was 35%)

 

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plus applicable interest and penalties, if any. Moreover, any increase in taxable income for these pre-REIT periods will likely result in an increase in non-REIT accumulated earnings and profits which could cause the Company to pay taxable distributions to its stockholders after the relevant determination.

Failure to make sufficient distributions would jeopardize Lamar Advertising’s qualification as a REIT and/or would subject it to U.S. federal income and excise taxes.

As a REIT, Lamar Advertising is required to distribute to its stockholders with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (excluding capital gains and net of any available net operating loss carry forwards) in order to qualify as a REIT, and 100% of its REIT taxable income (excluding capital gains and net of any available net operating loss carry forwards) in order to avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes. For these purposes, Lamar Advertising’s subsidiaries that are not TRSs, including Lamar Media, will be treated as part of the REIT and therefore Lamar Advertising also will be required to distribute out their taxable income.

Because the REIT distribution requirements will prevent us from retaining earnings, we may be required to refinance debt at maturity with additional debt or equity, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.

Covenants specified in our existing and future debt instruments may limit Lamar Advertising’s ability to make required REIT distributions.

Lamar Media’s senior credit facility and the indentures relating to Lamar Media’s outstanding notes contain certain covenants that could limit Lamar Advertising’s distributions to its stockholders. If these limits prevent Lamar Advertising from satisfying its REIT distribution requirements, it could fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT. If these limits do not jeopardize its qualification for taxation as a REIT but do nevertheless prevent it from distributing 100% of its REIT taxable income, it will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax, and potentially a nondeductible excise tax, on the retained amounts.

Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries may be required to borrow funds, sell assets, or raise equity to satisfy its REIT distribution requirements or maintain the asset tests.

In order to meet the REIT distribution requirements and maintain its qualification and taxation as a REIT and avoid corporate income taxes, Lamar Advertising and/or its subsidiaries, including Lamar Media, may need to borrow funds, sell assets or raise equity, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings, sales or offerings. Any insufficiency of its cash flows to cover Lamar Advertising’s REIT distribution requirements could adversely impact its ability to raise short- and long-term debt, to sell assets, or to offer equity securities in order to fund distributions required to maintain its qualification and taxation as a REIT and avoid corporate income taxes. Furthermore, the REIT distribution requirements may increase the financing Lamar Advertising needs to fund capital expenditures, future growth and expansion initiatives. This would increase its total leverage.

In addition, if Lamar Advertising fails to comply with certain asset tests at the end of any calendar quarter, it must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing its REIT qualification. As a result, it may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments. These actions may reduce its income and amounts available for distribution to its stockholders.

Our cash distributions are not guaranteed and may fluctuate.

A REIT generally is required to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders. The Company may have available NOLs that could reduce or substantially eliminate its REIT taxable income, and thus it may not be required to distribute material amounts of cash to qualify for taxation as a REIT. The Company expects that, for the foreseeable future, it may utilize available NOLs to reduce its REIT taxable income.

The board of directors of the Company, in its sole discretion, will determine on a quarterly basis the amount of cash to be distributed to its stockholders based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the Company’s results of operations, cash flow and capital requirements, economic conditions, tax considerations, borrowing capacity and other factors, including debt covenant restrictions that may impose limitations on cash payments, future acquisitions and divestitures, any stock repurchase program, and general market demand for its advertising space available for lease. Consequently, the Company’s distribution levels may fluctuate.

 

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Complying with REIT requirements may cause Lamar Advertising, its subsidiaries (other than TRSs) to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

To qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Lamar Advertising must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of its income, the nature and diversification of its assets, the amounts it distributes to its stockholders and the ownership of Lamar Advertising common stock. For these purposes, Lamar Advertising is treated as owning the assets of and receiving or accruing the income of its subsidiaries (other than TRSs). Thus, compliance with these tests will require Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries to refrain from certain activities and may hinder their ability to make certain attractive investments, including investments in the businesses to be conducted by TRSs, and to that extent limit their opportunities. Furthermore, acquisition opportunities in domestic and international markets may be adversely affected if Lamar Advertising needs or requires the target company to comply with some REIT requirements prior to closing.

Ownership limitations contained in the Lamar Advertising charter may restrict stockholders from acquiring or transferring certain amounts of shares.

In order for Lamar Advertising to remain qualified as a REIT, no more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of its stock may be owned, directly or indirectly or through application of certain attribution rules, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Code) at any time during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first taxable year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). To preserve its REIT qualification, the Lamar Advertising charter generally prohibits any person or entity from owning actually and by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Lamar Advertising common stock. These ownership limitations could restrict stockholders from acquiring or transferring certain amounts of shares of its stock. The Lamar Advertising charter also provides a separate share ownership limitation for certain members of the Reilly family and their affiliates that allows them to own actually and by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions no more than 19% of the outstanding shares of Lamar Advertising common stock and, during the second half of any taxable year other than its first taxable year as a REIT, no more than 33% in value of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of all classes and series of its stock, in each case excluding any shares of its stock that are not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes.

The Lamar Advertising charter, the Lamar Advertising bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover that stockholders consider favorable and could also limit the market price of Lamar Advertising stock.

Provisions of the Lamar Advertising charter, the Lamar Advertising bylaws and applicable provisions of Delaware law may make it more difficult for or prevent a third party from acquiring control of Lamar Advertising without the approval of the board of directors. These provisions:

In addition, Section 203 of the DGCL generally limits the Company’s ability to engage in any business combination with certain persons who own 15% or more of its outstanding voting stock or any of its associates or affiliates who at any time in the past three years have owned 15% or more of its outstanding voting stock.

These provisions may have the effect of entrenching the Company’s management team and may deprive you of the opportunity to sell your shares to potential acquirers at a premium over prevailing prices. This potential inability to obtain a control premium could reduce the price of Lamar Advertising common stock.

Changes to the Code, such as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, could have a negative effect on Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries including Lamar’s ability to deduct the full amount of its significant interest expense.

 

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law H.R. 1, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”). The TCJA makes major changes to the Code, including a number of provisions of the Code that affect the taxation of REITs and their

 

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stockholders. Among the changes made by the TCJA are permanently reducing the generally applicable corporate tax rate, generally reducing the tax rate applicable to individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, eliminating or modifying certain previously allowed deductions (including substantially limiting interest deductibility and, for individuals, the deduction for non-business state and local taxes). The TCJA also imposes new limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, which may result in Lamar Advertising having to make additional distributions in order to comply with REIT distribution requirements or avoid taxes on retained income and gains. The effect of the significant changes made by the TCJA is highly uncertain, and administrative guidance will be required in order to fully evaluate the effect of many provisions. The effect of any technical corrections with respect to the TCJA could have an adverse effect on us, Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries and shareholders.

 

Additionally, the TCJA may potentially limit Lamar Advertising’s ability to deduct the full amount of its interest expense.  For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, interest deductions for businesses with average annual gross receipts of over $25 million are capped at 30% of the business’ “adjusted taxable income” plus business interest income pursuant to the TCJA. In calculating “adjusted taxable income” for these purposes, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2022, this is computed without regard to deductions allowable for depreciation, amortization, or depletion (EBITDA). For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021, “adjusted taxable income” is calculated by taking deductions allowable for depreciation, amortization, or depletion into account (EBIT). This limitation, however, does not apply to an “electing real property trade or business.” As a REIT, Lamar Advertising would generally constitute a real property trade or businesses, and thus would retain the ability to fully deduct interest expenses if it makes such an election. However, an entity making such an election must use a longer depreciation cost recovery period for its property. Lamar Advertising has not made such an election at this time but may do so in the future.

Further legislative changes or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries.

At any time, the U.S. federal income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative and judicial interpretations of those laws may be amended or interpreted in a different manner. Federal and state tax laws are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and state taxing authorities. Additional changes to the tax laws, regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations, which may have retroactive application, could adversely affect Lamar Advertising and its subsidiaries. The Company cannot predict with certainty whether, when, in what forms, or with what effective dates, the tax laws, regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations applicable to Lamar Advertising may be changed. Accordingly, the Company cannot assure you that any such change will not significantly affect Lamar Advertising’s ability to qualify for taxation as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences to it of such qualification.

The ability of the board of directors of Lamar Advertising to revoke its REIT election, without stockholder approval, may cause adverse consequences to its stockholders.

The Lamar Advertising charter provides that the board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate the REIT election, without the approval of its stockholders, if the board determines that it is no longer in the Company’s best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT. If the Company ceases to be a REIT, it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and state and local corporate taxes, which may have adverse consequences on its total return to its stockholders.

None.

Our management headquarters is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We also own 128 local operating facilities with front office administration and sales office space connected to back-shop poster and bulletin production space. In addition, the Company leases an additional 134 operating facilities at an aggregate lease expense for 2018 of approximately $7.7 million.

We own over 7,600 parcels of property beneath our outdoor advertising structures. As of December 31, 2018, we leased over 73,300 active outdoor sites, accounting for a total annual lease expense of approximately $267.4 million. This amount represented approximately 19% of billboard advertising net revenues for that period. These leases are for varying terms ranging from month-to-month to a term of over ten years, and many provide the Company with renewal options. There is no significant concentration of displays under any one lease or subject to negotiation with any one landlord. An important part of our management activity is to manage our lease portfolio and negotiate suitable lease renewals and extensions.

 

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The Company from time to time is involved in litigation in the ordinary course of business, including disputes involving advertising contracts, site leases, employment claims and construction matters. The Company is also involved in routine administrative and judicial proceedings regarding billboard permits, fees and compensation for condemnations. The Company is not a party to any lawsuit or proceeding which, in the opinion of management, is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

The Company’s Class A common stock has been publicly traded since August 2, 1996 and is currently listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “LAMR.” As of December 31, 2018, the Class A common stock was held by 101 shareholders of record. The Company believes, however, that the actual number of beneficial holders of the Class A common stock may be substantially greater than the stated number of holders of record because a substantial portion of the Class A common stock is held in street name.

 

The Company’s Class B common stock is not publicly traded and is held of record by members of the Reilly family and the Reilly Family Limited Partnership (the “RFLP”). Kevin P. Reilly, Jr., our President and Chairman of the Board, is the managing general partner of the RFLP and Sean E. Reilly, our Chief Executive Officer, and Wendell Reilly and Anna Reilly, each of whom is a member of our board of directors are also general partners in the RFLP.

The Company’s Series AA preferred stock is entitled to preferential dividends, in an annual aggregate amount of $364,904, before any dividends may be paid on the common stock. All dividends related to the Company’s preferred stock are paid on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company’s senior credit facility and other indebtedness have terms restricting the payment of dividends.

Dividends

As a REIT, we must annually distribute to our common stockholders an amount equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined before the deduction for distributed earnings and excluding any net capital gain). Generally, we expect to distribute all or substantially all of our REIT taxable income to avoid being subject to income tax or excise tax on undistributed REIT taxable income. The amount, timing and frequency of future distributions will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will be declared based upon various factors, a number of which may be beyond our control, including our financial condition and operating cash flows, the amount required to maintain REIT status and reduce any income and excise taxes that we otherwise would be required to pay, limitations on distributions in our existing and future debt instruments, our ability to utilize net operating losses (“NOLs”) to offset our distribution requirements, limitations on our ability to fund distributions using cash generated through our TRSs and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant.

 

 

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Lamar Advertising Company

The selected consolidated statement of income, statement of cash flows and balance sheet data presented below are derived from the year ended December 31 audited consolidated financial statements of the Company, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). The data presented below should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements, related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included herein.