Insider Selling: Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) EVP Sells 3,563 Shares of Stock

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total transaction of $110,987.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $386,540.35. The trade was a 22.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 0.9 %

BSRR opened at $30.87 on Tuesday. Sierra Bancorp has a twelve month low of $17.69 and a twelve month high of $35.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.51. The stock has a market cap of $444.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 19.90%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. This is a positive change from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Sierra Bancorp’s payout ratio is 35.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 36,730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 10,489 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $385,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 78,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,278,000 after purchasing an additional 3,767 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 65,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,902,000 after buying an additional 19,025 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BSRR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Sierra Bancorp Company Profile

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.