13,303 Shares in Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Purchased by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,303 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $385,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 65,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,902,000 after acquiring an additional 19,025 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 301.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sierra Bancorp

In other news, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $386,540.35. This trade represents a 22.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $35,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $133,024. This trade represents a 20.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,393 shares of company stock valued at $166,994 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of BSRR stock opened at $28.90 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $403.56 million, a P/E ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $29.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.76. Sierra Bancorp has a one year low of $17.70 and a one year high of $35.13.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 19.90%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. This is a positive change from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on BSRR. 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 cut Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

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.