Investar (ISTR) Competitors

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) and Origin Bancorp (NYSE:OBK) are both small-cap banking companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Does the media prefer ISTR or OBK?

In the previous week, Origin Bancorp had 12 more articles in the media than Investar. MarketBeat recorded 23 mentions for Origin Bancorp and 11 mentions for Investar. Investar's average media sentiment score of 1.22 beat Origin Bancorp's score of 0.54 indicating that Investar is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Investar	2 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Origin Bancorp	6 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ISTR or OBK more profitable?

Investar has a net margin of 14.87% compared to Origin Bancorp's net margin of 10.23%. Investar's return on equity of 9.53% beat Origin Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Investar	14.87%	9.53%	0.87%
Origin Bancorp	10.23%	5.09%	0.62%

Is ISTR or OBK a better dividend stock?

Investar pays an annual dividend of $0.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Origin Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Investar pays out 19.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Origin Bancorp pays out 31.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Investar has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years.

Do institutionals and insiders believe in ISTR or OBK?

50.2% of Investar shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 54.7% of Origin Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 8.8% of Investar shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.4% of Origin Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk and volatility, ISTR or OBK?

Investar has a beta of 0.59, indicating that its share price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Origin Bancorp has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate ISTR or OBK?

Investar currently has a consensus target price of $29.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.22%. Origin Bancorp has a consensus target price of $43.20, indicating a potential upside of 29.35%. Given Origin Bancorp's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Origin Bancorp is more favorable than Investar.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Investar	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Origin Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Which has better earnings and valuation, ISTR or OBK?

Origin Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Investar. Investar is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Origin Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Investar	$158.07M	1.54	$20.25M	$2.24	11.04
Origin Bancorp	$619.96M	1.68	$76.49M	$1.91	17.49

Summary

Origin Bancorp beats Investar on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.