Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average of $23.37

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)’s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $23.37 and traded as high as $30.70. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $30.37, with a volume of 22,783 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BSRR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $23.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th.

Sierra Bancorp Trading Down 1.0 %

The company has a market cap of $443.28 million, a P/E ratio of 12.55 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $51.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.30 million. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 17.77%. Analysts anticipate that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 31st. This is an increase from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael Olague sold 14,088 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.95, for a total value of $436,023.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $534,351.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael Olague sold 14,088 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.95, for a total transaction of $436,023.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,265 shares in the company, valued at $534,351.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kevin J. Mcphaill sold 6,285 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.87, for a total transaction of $187,732.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,699 shares in the company, valued at $618,279.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,366 shares of company stock worth $1,370,158 over the last quarter. 11.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BSRR. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Sierra Bancorp by 45.7% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Sierra Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at about $94,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 118.2% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 8,243 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.