Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $29.74 and traded as high as $34.26. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $33.99, with a volume of 63,000 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BSRR shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.50.

Sierra Bancorp Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $30.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $452.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.82.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.07). Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.70% and a return on equity of 11.17%. The business had revenue of $40.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.57 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.84%.

Insider Activity

In other Sierra Bancorp news, CAO Cindy L. Dabney sold 3,443 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $110,176.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $206,880. The trade was a 34.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lynda Scearcy sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $30,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 30,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $906,990. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,143 shares of company stock worth $163,544. 11.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BSRR. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth approximately $960,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 138.3% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,225,000 after acquiring an additional 25,508 shares during the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,057,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the first quarter worth $282,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Sierra Bancorp by 35.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 181,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,401,000 after purchasing an additional 47,474 shares during the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sierra Bancorp

Sierra Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in California. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market demand accounts, time deposits, retirement accounts, and sweep accounts.