Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Passes Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $19.56 and traded as low as $18.63. Investar shares last traded at $18.98, with a volume of 15,478 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ISTR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Investar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. Piper Sandler upgraded Investar from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Investar Trading Up 3.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $18.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.49. The company has a market capitalization of $190.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 0.56.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $20.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.90 million. Investar had a return on equity of 8.00% and a net margin of 12.81%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Investar's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.18%.

Institutional Trading of Investar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Investar during the 1st quarter valued at about $493,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Investar by 12.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 92,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,627,000 after buying an additional 10,342 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Investar by 7.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 58,028 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,022,000 after buying an additional 3,905 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in Investar by 29.6% during the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 30,165 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 6,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhino Investment Partners Inc increased its holdings in shares of Investar by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 157,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,767,000 after purchasing an additional 11,703 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.