Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.84 and traded as low as $28.66. Investar shares last traded at $28.71, with a volume of 203,296 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ISTR. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Investar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $31.50 target price on shares of Investar in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Zacks Research cut shares of Investar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Investar from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Investar currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

Investar Trading Down 1.6%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $28.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $395.91 million, a PE ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 0.45.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.18. Investar had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 10.62%. The firm had revenue of $35.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.40 million. Analysts expect that Investar Holding Corporation will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Investar by 440.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Investar by 69.1% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Investar by 24.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Investar by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Investar by 12.8% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the period. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.