Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $28.52 and traded as high as $31.88. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $31.81, with a volume of 19,647 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BSRR shares. Wall Street Zen cut Sierra Bancorp from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a market cap of $433.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.57.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.01). Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.92% and a return on equity of 11.38%. The firm had revenue of $36.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.51 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 5th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Sierra Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lynda Scearcy sold 4,297 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.02, for a total transaction of $128,995.94. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 31,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $937,614.66. This trade represents a 12.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 11.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BSRR. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $475,000. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 30.3% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,021 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 5,125 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Sierra Bancorp by 13,970.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,055 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 14,948 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 301.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,858 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 28,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new position in Sierra Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $458,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company's stock.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

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.