Savant Capital LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Savant Capital LLC reduced its stake in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC owned about 0.13% of Investar worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Investar by 6.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Investar by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 51,524 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Investar in the third quarter valued at $57,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Investar by 129.1% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Investar by 46.2% in the third 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 during the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Investar Stock Performance

Investar stock opened at $19.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.42 million, a P/E ratio of 9.35 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $20.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.21. Investar Holding Co. has a 52 week low of $14.60 and a 52 week high of $24.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

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

Investar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Investar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 8,475 shares in the company, valued at $200,688. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.