Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock: Insider Lynda Scearcy Sells 8,010 Shares

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Director Lynda Scearcy sold 8,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total value of $337,621.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,273 shares in the company, valued at $685,906.95. This trade represents a 32.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

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

• On Thursday, October 29th, Lynda Scearcy sold 5,850 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.34, for a total transaction of $247,689.00.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 2.1%

BSRR stock opened at $41.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Sierra Bancorp has a 1-year low of $28.35 and a 1-year high of $44.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.38. The firm has a market cap of $544.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.75.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.27. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 25.32% and a return on equity of 13.89%. The company had revenue of $40.08 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.23 million. Research analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 27.84%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Sierra Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Sierra Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $94,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Sierra Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $94,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BSRR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings raised Sierra Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research raised Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $47.00 to $48.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a report on Monday, October 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sierra Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.83.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

Sierra Bancorp is the bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra, a community bank headquartered in Porterville, California. Founded in 1977, the bank serves individuals, families, farmers, small businesses and commercial customers in California’s Central Valley and surrounding communities.

Bank of the Sierra provides a range of banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and residential lending, commercial real estate loans, business banking, agricultural financing and online and mobile banking.