Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Short Interest Down 10.9% in November

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 66,500 shares, a decline of 10.9% from the November 15th total of 74,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 37,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of BSRR stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $31.14. 17,832 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 32,802. The firm has a market capitalization of $448.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.54. Sierra Bancorp has a twelve month low of $17.69 and a twelve month high of $35.13.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 10.48%. The company had revenue of $52.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.30 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Sierra Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 38.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BSRR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sierra Bancorp

In related news, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.98, for a total value of $144,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 313,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,081,462.60. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Albert L. Berra sold 2,540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.24, for a total transaction of $81,889.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 150,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,838,031.12. This represents a 1.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,056 shares of company stock valued at $244,741. 11.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BSRR. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Sierra Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $142,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.