Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Director Sells $175,000.00 in Stock

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) 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 value of $175,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 30,133 shares in the company, valued at $1,054,655. This trade represents a 14.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Lynda Scearcy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, December 9th, Lynda Scearcy sold 100 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.68, for a total transaction of $3,268.00.
• On Monday, November 10th, Lynda Scearcy sold 1,000 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $30,000.00.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ BSRR traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $35.11. The company had a trading volume of 51,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 60,197. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.52. Sierra Bancorp has a 52-week low of $22.42 and a 52-week high of $35.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $466.90 million, a P/E ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 0.81.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its 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). The firm had revenue of $40.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.57 million. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 19.70%. Sell-side analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BSRR. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 71.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 24,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 10,046 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the first quarter worth about $784,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Sierra Bancorp during the first quarter worth about $282,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 40.5% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 14,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 4,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sierra Bancorp

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.