Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Short Interest Update

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,300 shares, a decline of 21.0% from the December 31st total of 76,300 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 41,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.98, for a total transaction of $144,900.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 313,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,081,462.60. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Albert L. Berra sold 2,540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.24, for a total transaction of $81,889.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 150,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,838,031.12. The trade was a 1.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,056 shares of company stock valued at $244,741. Company insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BSRR. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $142,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $216,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 301.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 12,690 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:BSRR traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $30.35. The stock had a trading volume of 37,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,176. Sierra Bancorp has a 1 year low of $17.69 and a 1 year high of $35.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.99 and its 200-day moving average is $29.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.04 and a beta of 0.92.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 17.91% and a return on equity of 10.48%. Research analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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