Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Lowers Holdings in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reduced its stake in shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,033 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned 0.31% of Investar worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Investar by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 30,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 7,700 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Investar by 88.9% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 39,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 18,367 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Investar in the third quarter worth about $57,000. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in Investar during the third quarter worth approximately $272,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Investar by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 2,546 shares in the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In other news, Director Scott G. Ginn bought 8,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director now owns 8,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,688. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.73% 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 note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Investar Price Performance

Investar stock opened at $19.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Investar Holding Co. has a 52-week low of $14.60 and a 52-week high of $24.81. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.13.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.26. Investar had a return on equity of 8.00% and a net margin of 12.81%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.59%.

About Investar

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.