Hsbc Holdings PLC Takes Position in Investar Holding Corporation $ISTR

Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 57,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,732,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Investar during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Investar by 440.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Investar by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,691 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Investar by 24.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Investar by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

Investar Price Performance

Investar stock opened at $30.29 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.40 million, a PE ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 0.45. Investar Holding Corporation has a 52 week low of $21.43 and a 52 week high of $31.77. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $36.55 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.35 million. Investar had a net margin of 17.55% and a return on equity of 11.65%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Investar Holding Corporation will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. This is an increase from Investar’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Investar’s payout ratio is presently 19.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Investar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Investar from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised Investar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Investar has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $31.50.

About Investar

Investar Holdings, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, operating through its primary subsidiary, Investar Bank. The company delivers commercial and consumer banking products across southeastern Louisiana and into select Texas markets, focusing on relationship-driven service. Investar Bank’s offerings include deposit accounts, lending solutions, online and mobile banking, and treasury management services.

Its lending portfolio encompasses commercial real estate financing, construction and development loans, commercial and industrial credits, agricultural loans, and residential mortgage originations.