What if you'd held LAMR?
A $1,000 investment in Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR) at the month-end close of 1996-08 would be worth $15,314 at the close of 2026-08 — +1431.4% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500, dividends reinvested, would be worth $20,230.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1996
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | $1,000 | — |
| 1997 | $1,640 | +64.0% |
| 1998 | $2,305 | +40.5% |
| 1999 | $3,747 | +62.6% |
| 2000 | $2,387 | -36.3% |
| 2001 | $2,619 | +9.7% |
| 2002 | $2,082 | -20.5% |
| 2003 | $2,308 | +10.8% |
| 2004 | $2,647 | +14.7% |
| 2005 | $2,854 | +7.8% |
| 2006 | $4,046 | +41.8% |
| 2007 | $3,131 | -22.6% |
| 2008 | $818 | -73.9% |
| 2009 | $2,025 | +147.6% |
| 2010 | $2,595 | +28.2% |
| 2011 | $1,792 | -31.0% |
| 2012 | $2,524 | +40.8% |
| 2013 | $3,404 | +34.9% |
| 2014 | $3,668 | +7.8% |
| 2015 | $4,304 | +17.3% |
| 2016 | $5,064 | +17.7% |
| 2017 | $5,856 | +15.7% |
| 2018 | $5,744 | -1.9% |
| 2019 | $7,772 | +35.3% |
| 2020 | $7,525 | -3.2% |
| 2021 | $11,384 | +51.3% |
| 2022 | $9,329 | -18.0% |
| 2023 | $11,061 | +18.6% |
| 2024 | $13,271 | +20.0% |
| 2025 | $14,561 | +9.7% |
| 2026 | $17,692 | +21.5% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought LAMR was 2009-02 ($3.83): $1,000 then is $39,264 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($161): $1,000 then is $936.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in LAMR be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR) at the start of 1996 would be worth about $15,314 today, a total return of +1431.4%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for LAMR?
Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR)'s strongest calendar year since 1996 was 2009, a +147.6% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,476 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -73.9%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in LAMR have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1996-08 would have grown to about $225,811 on $36,100 invested.
Did LAMR beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested (the S&P 500 Total Return index) would be worth $20,230. LAMR trailed the S&P 500 by +24.3% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR) historical total-return data from 1996-08 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends, the same convention used by major brokerages. End-of-day and live prices come from EODHD; parts of the deep historical series are carried over from Yahoo Finance data. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (EODHD): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via EODHD and Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.