Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Price Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)’s share price passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.05 and traded as high as $23.59. Investar shares last traded at $23.59, with a volume of 25,132 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Investar Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $231.89 million, a P/E ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $20.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.73. 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 (NASDAQ:ISTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $40.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.07 million. Investar had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 6.94%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. This is a boost from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Investar

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Investar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Investar by 129.1% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Investar by 2,810.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 10,257 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Investar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $185,000. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Investar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

About Investar

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.