Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Price Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) shares crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.10 and traded as high as $29.27. Investar shares last traded at $29.03, with a volume of 268,179 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ISTR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Investar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Investar from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.50 price target on shares of Investar in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Investar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Investar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

Investar Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $400.32 million, a PE ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.46.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.18. Investar had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 16.53%.The firm had revenue of $35.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.40 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Investar Holding Corporation will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Investar’s payout ratio is 19.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake 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 buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Investar by 440.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Investar by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 666 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Investar by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ELCO Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Investar during the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Investar

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.