Vonn R. Christenson Sells 725 Shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Director Vonn R. Christenson sold 725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.48, for a total transaction of $20,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,382.72. The trade was a 79.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Sierra Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ BSRR opened at $28.47 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Sierra Bancorp has a 12-month low of $17.69 and a 12-month high of $35.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $397.56 million, a P/E ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 0.89.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. Analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. This is an increase from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 35.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury acquired a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $137,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on BSRR. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

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.