Finance

Clear Channel Announces Strategy for Selling Europe-North Business

Clear Channel Outdoor closed the sale of its business in France and retained investment bankers Moelis and Co and Deutsche Bank Securities to assist it in selling Europe North (e.g. UK and Scandinavia).  It will also conduct a strategic review of the Latin American business (Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru), investor […]

Not Pretty for OOH Stocks

Not a pretty picture for out of home stocks.  All the public out of home companies failed to beat the market during the past three months due to fears about a recession impacting ad spending.  The S&P 500 declined 10%.    Lamar was off 17%, Boston Omaha down 27%, Clear […]

Paul Wright on OUTFRONT

Billboard Insider asked SignValue’s Paul Wright to talk about OUTFRONT’s Canadian sale and new equity investors.  Wright also talked about the return of airport traffic which is good news for OUTFRONT, JCDecaux and Clear Channel Outdoor. What’s your take on the OUTFRONT Canada sale? We like OUTFRONT’s sale of their […]

Three Things About the OUTFRONT Canada Sale

OUTFRONT shares increased 8% this week following news that the OUTFRONT is selling OUTFRONT Canada to Bell Media for $300 million US.  Three things about the sale. Stock purchase The transaction is a purchase of the shares of OUTFRONT Canada, not a purchase of assets.  This carries more risk for […]

Moreno and Verde Buy 5.2% of OUTFRONT Stock

Earlier this year Arte Moreno, Ernie Garcia and Verde Investments were part of a group that purchased 7.3% of the stock of Clear Channel Outdoor.  They are at it again.  This week Garcia’s Verde Investments and Artie Moreno purchased 5.2% of OUTFRONT Media’s common stock.  Billboard Insider Values the groups […]

Reader Questions on Out of Home Hurdle Rates

Two questions from Billboard Insider readers on our article suggesting that out of home projects should have a 15-25% hurdle rate. When you say an acceptable “hurdle rate” for OOH projects is 15% to 25%, does this mean that you should be able to have the project paid for in 6.5 […]

Clear Channel Outdoor Signs Agreement to Sell French OOH Operation

Clear Channel Outdoor has signed an agreement to sell its French out of home assets to Equinox Industries.  Clear Channel Outdoor’s french business has 800 employees and annual revenues of  $258 million equivalent in US dollars.  The sale price is $76 million equivalent in US dollars including the $32 million […]

An Acceptable Hurdle Rate for OOH Projects is 15-25% Depending on Risk

A hurdle rate is the minimum acceptable return on new capital expenditures.  It is the excess cashflow (EBITDA) on a new out of home capital project divided by the incremental cost of the out of home capital project.  Two-thirds of Billboard Insider’s readers have a hurdle rate for new out […]

Clear Channel Outdoor Reluctant to Sell US Assets

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings CFO Brian Coleman and Clear Channel Outdoor Americas CFO David Sailer appeared at last week’s Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance conference.  Some of their comments. A sale of France and Spain is in the works but there are hurdles We have started to get some traction in […]

Half of Billboard Insider Readers Pass Credit Card Charges on to Advertisers

Yesterday Billboard Insider asked readers if they pass credit card fees on to out of home advertisers who pay with a credit card.  52% of Billboard Insider readers say that they do.  41% of Billboard Insider readers don’t.  7% of Billboard Insider readers don’t take credit cards in payment of […]