Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Shares Cross Above 50 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $25.63 and traded as high as $27.37. Investar shares last traded at $26.90, with a volume of 46,098 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ISTR has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Investar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Investar to $29.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Investar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.00.

Investar Stock Down 1.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $263.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50-day moving average is $25.63 and its 200-day moving average is $23.55.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported ($1.06) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $25.46 million for the quarter. Investar had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 14.87%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Investar Holding Corporation will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Investar’s dividend payout ratio is 19.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Investar

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ISTR. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Investar by 440.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Investar by 16.4% in the second quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 3,492 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Investar by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 499 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Investar by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.