Banc Funds Co. LLC Sells 142,552 Shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)

Banc Funds Co. LLC trimmed its position in shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Free Report) by 38.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,731 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 142,552 shares during the period. Banc Funds Co. LLC owned about 1.58% of Sierra Bancorp worth $6,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $202,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company's stock.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of BSRR stock traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.30. The stock had a trading volume of 2,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,821. The firm has a market cap of $363.73 million, a PE ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Sierra Bancorp has a one year low of $18.93 and a one year high of $35.13. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $28.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.32.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. On average, analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is an increase from Sierra Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Sierra Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sierra Bancorp

In other Sierra Bancorp news, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $110,987.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $386,540.35. This represents a 22.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $35,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,157 shares in the company, valued at $133,024. The trade was a 20.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,393 shares of company stock worth $166,994 over the last three months. Company insiders own 11.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

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.