BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 12,815 Shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 851.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,815 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.15% of Investar worth $278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Investar in the 3rd quarter worth $57,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Investar by 2,810.1% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 10,257 shares during the last quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Investar during the 3rd quarter valued at about $272,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Investar by 92.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 20,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 9,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Investar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $329,000. Institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In other Investar news, Director Scott G. Ginn bought 8,475 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,688. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 8.73% of the company’s stock.

Investar Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ISTR opened at $23.05 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Investar Holding Co. has a 1 year low of $13.00 and a 1 year high of $24.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.14 and its 200 day moving average is $18.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.54 million, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.79.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.12. Investar had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 11.35%. The firm had revenue of $40.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.07 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This is a boost from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Investar’s payout ratio is 23.46%.

Investar Company Profile

Investar Holding Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Investar Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in south Louisiana, southeast Texas, and Alabama in the United States. 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 and credit cards; internet, mobile, and video banking services; and reciprocal deposit products.