Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) Position Lifted by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR - Free Report) by 38.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 98,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 27,254 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC owned about 1.00% of Investar worth $2,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ISTR. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Investar by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,200 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Investar by 129.1% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Investar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $211,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Investar by 851.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 12,815 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Investar by 46.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.17% of the company's stock.

Investar Stock Down 5.1 %

Shares of ISTR stock traded down $0.87 on Thursday, hitting $16.08. The stock had a trading volume of 14,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,577. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.52. The stock's 50 day moving average is $17.98 and its 200-day moving average is $20.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. Investar Holding Co. has a 52-week low of $14.60 and a 52-week high of $24.81.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.26. Investar had a net margin of 12.81% and a return on equity of 8.00%. As a group, research analysts expect that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Investar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ISTR has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Investar in a research note on Friday, February 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Investar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday.

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.