Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 717,103 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,086 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 4.98% of Sierra Bancorp worth $20,739,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Sierra Bancorp by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $171,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $216,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $385,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,827 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 301.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,896 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 12,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company's stock.

Sierra Bancorp Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BSRR traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 41,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,968. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $28.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.33. Sierra Bancorp has a 1 year low of $18.93 and a 1 year high of $35.13. The firm has a market cap of $351.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05 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 (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Research analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. This is a boost from Sierra Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Sierra Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.59%.

Insider Transactions at Sierra Bancorp

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $35,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $110,987.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,393 shares of company stock worth $166,994 in the last three months. 11.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.