Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Stock Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $20.05 and traded as high as $23.59. Investar shares last traded at $23.59, with a volume of 25,132 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Investar Trading Up 1.6 %

The company has a market cap of $231.89 million, a PE ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.78.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $40.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.07 million. Investar had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 11.35%. On average, analysts forecast that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. This is a boost from Investar's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Investar's payout ratio is currently 23.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Investar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ISTR. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Investar by 7.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 45,558 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $745,000 after acquiring an additional 3,325 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Investar by 14.3% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 99,326 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,625,000 after buying an additional 12,412 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Investar in the first quarter valued at about $185,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Investar during the 1st quarter valued at about $504,000. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Investar by 36.3% during the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 214,513 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,509,000 after acquiring an additional 57,178 shares in the last quarter. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Investar Company 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.