Ritholtz Wealth Management Buys 20,196 Shares of Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in Investar Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) by 51.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 20,196 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management owned approximately 0.60% of Investar worth $1,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ISTR. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Investar by 49.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 161,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after buying an additional 53,434 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Investar by 14.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 251,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,869,000 after purchasing an additional 31,589 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Investar during the third quarter worth $572,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Investar by 111.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 48,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 25,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Investar during the third quarter worth $272,000. 50.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Investar

In related news, Director Scott G. Ginn acquired 8,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,688. This trade represents a ? increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.73% of the company’s stock.

Investar Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ISTR opened at $20.12 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.39 and a 200-day moving average of $19.86. The company has a market capitalization of $197.78 million, a PE ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 0.81. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $40.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.07 million. Investar had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 6.94%. On average, equities analysts predict that Investar Holding Co. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Investar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.46%.

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.