Insider Selling: Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) EVP Sells $110,987.45 in Stock

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $110,987.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,540.35. This trade represents a 22.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 2.8 %

BSRR opened at $30.59 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.89 and a 200-day moving average of $29.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $440.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Sierra Bancorp has a 1-year low of $17.69 and a 1-year high of $35.13.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BSRR shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $142,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 24.0% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 74,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,137,000 after buying an additional 14,335 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the third quarter worth $29,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 21.2% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 46,013 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,329,000 after buying an additional 8,033 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 74,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,166,000 after buying an additional 3,752 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sierra Bancorp

Sierra Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in California. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market demand accounts, time deposits, retirement accounts, and sweep accounts.