Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $33.43 and traded as high as $36.81. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $36.60, with a volume of 24,735 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BSRR shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sierra Bancorp has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 2.2%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $34.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.43. 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 market capitalization of $478.73 million, a PE ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 0.76.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.14. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 22.53% and a return on equity of 12.67%. The business had revenue of $38.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.68 million. On average, analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 3.73 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. Sierra Bancorp's payout ratio is currently 30.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sierra Bancorp

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director Julie G. Castle sold 750 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total value of $28,447.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,431 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $92,207.83. The trade was a 23.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total transaction of $189,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 302,970 shares in the company, valued at $11,491,652.10. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $227,478 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 11.83% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 126.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 12,098 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 6,746 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 13.4% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,777 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $367,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 34.2% during the second quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 11,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 2,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,240 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

Sierra Bancorp NASDAQ: BSRR is a bank holding company headquartered in Porterville, California. The company operates through its banking subsidiary, offering a full suite of financial services to individual and commercial clients. With a community-focused approach, Sierra Bancorp emphasizes relationship banking and local market expertise.

Its core business activities include deposit-taking and lending. On the deposit side, Sierra Bancorp provides checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.