Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $31.30 and traded as high as $38.05. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $37.27, with a volume of 74,572 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BSRR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $38.50.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $34.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.30. The company has a market capitalization of $495.69 million, a P/E ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $39.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.04 million. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 20.96% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Equities analysts anticipate that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Insider Transactions at Sierra Bancorp

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director Lynda Scearcy sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $175,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 30,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,054,655. This trade represents a 14.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of the 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 owned 302,970 shares in the company, valued at $11,491,652.10. The trade was a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 14,893 shares of company stock worth $526,642 in the last three months. Insiders own 11.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sierra Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Sierra Bancorp by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,191 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,575,000 after buying an additional 548 shares during the period. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 54.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 21,684 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $709,000 after acquiring an additional 7,675 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 78.9% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 20,318 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 8,963 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $367,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Sierra Bancorp by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 14,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 4,032 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.