Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Separately, Piper Sandler started coverage on Investar in a research report on Friday, February 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company.

Investar Stock Performance

Shares of Investar stock opened at $17.85 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.39 million, a P/E ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Investar has a 12 month low of $14.60 and a 12 month high of $24.81.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.26. Investar had a net margin of 12.81% and a return on equity of 8.00%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Investar will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Investar by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 26,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 5,224 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Investar by 5.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 108,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,117,000 after purchasing an additional 5,774 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Investar during the third quarter valued at $572,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Investar by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 54,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 2,599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Investar by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

Investar Company Profile

Investar Holding Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Investar Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in south Louisiana, southeast Texas, and Alabama in the United States. The company offers various deposit products and services, such as savings, checking, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as various certificates of deposit; debit and credit cards; internet, mobile, and video banking services; and reciprocal deposit products.