Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) Director Acquires $200,688.00 in Stock

Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) Director Scott G. Ginn acquired 8,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.68 per share, with a total value of $200,688.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,688. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Investar Price Performance

Shares of Investar stock traded up $0.89 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $24.71. 47,118 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 42,453. Investar Holding Co. has a 12 month low of $10.34 and a 12 month high of $24.81. 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 $242.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $20.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.04.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 6.94%. The company had revenue of $40.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.07 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. This is an increase from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Investar’s payout ratio is 23.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Trading of Investar

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Investar by 36.3% during the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 214,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,509,000 after acquiring an additional 57,178 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Investar by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 161,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,127,000 after buying an additional 53,434 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Investar by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 251,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,869,000 after acquiring an additional 31,589 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Investar in the first quarter worth $504,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Investar during the third quarter valued at about $572,000. Institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

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.