LSV Asset Management Reduces Position in Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)

LSV Asset Management lowered its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,800 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.67% of Sierra Bancorp worth $2,805,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 40.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 65,858 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,902,000 after acquiring an additional 19,025 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 301.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,896 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 12,690 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $385,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,827 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 55.40% of the company's stock.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Sierra Bancorp stock traded up $0.18 on Friday, hitting $25.43. The company had a trading volume of 41,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,879. Sierra Bancorp has a 1 year low of $17.71 and a 1 year high of $35.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.31 and a 200-day moving average of $29.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $351.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05 and a beta of 0.76.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 19.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a boost from Sierra Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. Sierra Bancorp's payout ratio is 35.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of Sierra Bancorp 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,540.35. This trade represents a 22.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $35,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,157 shares of the company's stock, valued at $133,024. This trade represents a 20.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,393 shares of company stock valued at $166,994. Corporate insiders own 11.63% of the company's stock.

About Sierra Bancorp

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.