Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of Sierra Bancorp stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Thursday, hitting $29.46. 44,169 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,577. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $29.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.76. The firm has a market cap of $411.38 million, a P/E ratio of 10.48 and a beta of 0.89. Sierra Bancorp has a 52-week low of $17.70 and a 52-week high of $35.13.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. On average, equities analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Sierra Bancorp

In related news, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $110,987.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,409 shares in the company, valued at $386,540.35. The trade was a 22.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $35,328.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,157 shares in the company, valued at $133,024. This represents a 20.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,393 shares of company stock valued at $166,994 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 11.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in Sierra Bancorp by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 321,257 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,278,000 after purchasing an additional 11,095 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 12.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 194,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,619,000 after buying an additional 21,558 shares during the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 176,985 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,111,000 after acquiring an additional 28,495 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 131,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,767 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Sierra Bancorp by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 126,905 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,670,000 after acquiring an additional 4,794 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.40% of the company's stock.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

Sierra Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra that provides retail and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses in California. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market demand accounts, time deposits, retirement accounts, and sweep accounts.