Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Share Price Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR)’s share price passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.09 and traded as high as $29.00. Investar shares last traded at $28.50, with a volume of 70,000 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Investar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Investar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Investar has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.00.

Investar Trading Down 0.9%

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $28.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.20. The firm has a market cap of $279.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.04. Investar had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 14.92%.The firm had revenue of $23.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.35 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Investar Holding Corporation will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.56%.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In other Investar news, CEO John J. D’angelo sold 26,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.01, for a total value of $732,825.63. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 242,750 shares in the company, valued at $6,799,427.50. The trade was a 9.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 8.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Investar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ISTR. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Investar by 440.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 2,363 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Investar by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in Investar by 69.1% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Investar by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Investar by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 1,182 shares during the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Investar Company Profile

Investar Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, operating through its primary subsidiary, Investar Bank. The company delivers commercial and consumer banking products across southeastern Louisiana and into select Texas markets, focusing on relationship-driven service. Investar Bank’s offerings include deposit accounts, lending solutions, online and mobile banking, and treasury management services.

Its lending portfolio encompasses commercial real estate financing, construction and development loans, commercial and industrial credits, agricultural loans, and residential mortgage originations.