Barclays PLC Acquires 5,224 Shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,224 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.27% of Investar worth $507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Investar by 49.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 161,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 53,434 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Investar by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 108,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,117,000 after buying an additional 5,774 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Investar by 129.1% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Investar by 851.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 12,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Investar by 6.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In other news, Director Scott G. Ginn purchased 8,475 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.68 per share, with a total value of $200,688.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,475 shares in the company, valued at $200,688. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 8.73% of the company’s stock.

Investar Trading Down 3.3 %

Investar stock opened at $21.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $208.75 million, a PE ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.46. Investar Holding Co. has a one year low of $14.60 and a one year high of $24.81.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.12. Investar had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 11.35%. The company had revenue of $40.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.07 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.46%.

Investar Company Profile

Investar Holding Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Investar Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in south Louisiana, southeast Texas, and Alabama in the United States. The company offers various deposit products and services, such as savings, checking, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as various certificates of deposit; debit and credit cards; internet, mobile, and video banking services; and reciprocal deposit products.