Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) Expected to Post Earnings of $0.60 Per Share

Analysts forecast that Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR – Get Rating) will report $0.60 earnings per share for the current quarter, Zacks reports. Two analysts have made estimates for Investar’s earnings, with the highest EPS estimate coming in at $0.62 and the lowest estimate coming in at $0.58. Investar reported earnings per share of $0.53 during the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 13.2%. The firm is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Investar will report full year earnings of $2.57 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.52 to $2.64. For the next financial year, analysts forecast that the firm will post earnings of $2.77 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.75 to $2.81. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that follow Investar.

Several research firms recently weighed in on ISTR. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Investar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Investar in a report on Friday, May 13th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Investar from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Thursday, March 3rd.

Shares of NASDAQ:ISTR traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $19.89. 16,306 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,993. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $204.81 million, a PE ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.99. Investar has a twelve month low of $17.08 and a twelve month high of $23.69.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.085 per share. This is an increase from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 30th. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Investar’s payout ratio is 27.87%.

In other news, insider Jeffrey Wayne Martin purchased 1,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $20.41 per share, with a total value of $34,982.74. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased a total of 2,314 shares of company stock worth $46,759 in the last ninety days. 10.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ISTR. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Investar in the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new stake in shares of Investar in the 1st quarter worth about $239,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Investar by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its position in shares of Investar by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 11,270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 2,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Investar in the 2nd quarter worth about $361,000. 56.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Investar (Get Rating)

Investar Holding Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Investar Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses in South Louisiana. The company offers various deposit products and services, such as savings, checking, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as various certificates of deposit; debit cards; and mobile banking services.

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