Fourthstone LLC Takes Position in Investar Holding Corporation $ISTR

Fourthstone LLC bought a new position in Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 30,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $584,000. Fourthstone LLC owned 0.31% of Investar as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Investar by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 3,492 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Investar by 6.2% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 13,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Investar by 12.8% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,451 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Investar by 1.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 230,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,455,000 after purchasing an additional 2,639 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Investar by 6.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 58,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 3,757 shares in the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Investar Stock Up 1.7%

ISTR stock opened at $26.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $263.30 million, a PE ratio of 11.98 and a beta of 0.55. Investar Holding Corporation has a 1 year low of $15.39 and a 1 year high of $27.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported ($1.06) earnings per share for the quarter. Investar had a net margin of 14.87% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The company had revenue of $25.46 million for the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Investar Holding Corporation will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a yield of 190.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Investar to $29.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Zacks Research raised Investar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Investar in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.00.

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.