Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.26 EPS

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.26, Zacks reports. Investar had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 11.35%.

Investar Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ ISTR opened at $19.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.97. Investar has a 52-week low of $14.60 and a 52-week high of $24.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.00 million, a P/E ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Investar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Investar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Investar

In related news, Director Scott G. Ginn purchased 8,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $200,688. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Investar Company 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.