Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,599 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.55% of Investar worth $1,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Investar in the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Investar by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Investar during the third quarter worth approximately $272,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Investar by 851.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 12,815 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Investar by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In related news, Director Scott G. Ginn bought 8,475 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,688. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Investar Stock Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ ISTR opened at $19.42 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $190.90 million, a PE ratio of 9.52 and a beta of 0.79. Investar Holding Co. has a 52 week low of $14.60 and a 52 week high of $24.81.

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

Investar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Investar’s payout ratio is 20.59%.

Investar 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.