Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $29.74 and traded as high as $34.26. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $33.99, with a volume of 63,000 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on BSRR. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $452.07 million, a PE ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.74.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $40.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.57 million. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.17% and a net margin of 19.70%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Sierra Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 34.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sierra Bancorp

In related news, Director Lynda Scearcy sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $30,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 30,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $906,990. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Cindy L. Dabney sold 3,443 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $110,176.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,880. This represents a 34.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,143 shares of company stock worth $163,544. Company insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BSRR. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 3.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 733,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,207,000 after acquiring an additional 22,931 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 586,402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,410,000 after purchasing an additional 7,641 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 238,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,085,000 after purchasing an additional 33,048 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 181,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,401,000 after purchasing an additional 47,474 shares during the period. Finally, CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,057,000. 55.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.