Boston Partners Decreases Stake in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Boston Partners trimmed its position in shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR - Free Report) by 36.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,284 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 24,793 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.44% of Investar worth $951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Investar by 49.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 161,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 53,434 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Investar during the third quarter worth $572,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Investar by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 59,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,301,000 after acquiring an additional 20,196 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Investar by 851.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 12,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Investar by 5.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 108,540 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,117,000 after acquiring an additional 5,774 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ISTR shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Investar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Investar in a research report on Friday, February 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company.

Investar Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of ISTR stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.81. 17,447 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 41,732. The stock has a market cap of $175.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.73 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.30. Investar Holding Co. has a fifty-two week low of $14.60 and a fifty-two week high of $24.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts expect that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Investar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.59%.

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.