Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $32.28 and traded as high as $33.48. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $33.31, with a volume of 54,257 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Sierra Bancorp from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sierra Bancorp has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.50.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 0.7%

The company has a market capitalization of $439.36 million, a P/E ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average of $35.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $40.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.04 million. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.82% and a net margin of 20.96%. On average, research analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

Insider Activity at Sierra Bancorp

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director Julie G. Castle sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total value of $28,447.50. Following the sale, the director owned 2,431 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,207.83. This represents a 23.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total transaction of $189,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 302,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,491,652.10. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $402,478 in the last three months. Company insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sierra Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 17,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 2.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,859 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,191 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,575,000 after acquiring an additional 548 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 1.2% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 47,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,424,000 after acquiring an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ: BSRR) is a bank holding company headquartered in Porterville, California. The company operates through its banking subsidiary, offering a full suite of financial services to individual and commercial clients. With a community-focused approach, Sierra Bancorp emphasizes relationship banking and local market expertise.

Its core business activities include deposit-taking and lending. On the deposit side, Sierra Bancorp provides checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts.