Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $32.28 and traded as high as $33.48. Sierra Bancorp shares last traded at $33.31, with a volume of 54,257 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BSRR shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sierra Bancorp has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.50.

Sierra Bancorp Trading Down 0.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $439.36 million, a PE ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $40.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.04 million. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.82% and a net margin of 20.96%. Equities analysts expect that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 33.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total transaction of $189,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 302,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,491,652.10. This represents a 1.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.93, for a total transaction of $28,447.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,431 shares in the company, valued at $92,207.83. This represents a 23.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $402,478. 11.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Sierra Bancorp by 3,714.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 121.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 1,956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $153,000. Institutional investors own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ: BSRR) is a bank holding company headquartered in Porterville, California. The company operates through its banking subsidiary, offering a full suite of financial services to individual and commercial clients. With a community-focused approach, Sierra Bancorp emphasizes relationship banking and local market expertise.

Its core business activities include deposit-taking and lending. On the deposit side, Sierra Bancorp provides checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts.