Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Price Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR)’s stock price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.10 and traded as high as $29.27. Investar shares last traded at $29.03, with a volume of 268,179 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Investar Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a market cap of $400.32 million, a P/E ratio of 12.73 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $28.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $35.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.40 million. Investar had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 10.62%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Investar Holding Corporation will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. Investar’s payout ratio is currently 19.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Investar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Investar by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Investar by 440.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Investar by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Investar by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ELCO Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Investar in the 4th quarter worth $215,000. 50.17% of the stock is owned by 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.