By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR – Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 66,500 shares, a drop of 10.9% from the November 15th total of 74,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 37,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.
Sierra Bancorp Trading Up 0.2 %
Shares of NASDAQ BSRR traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $31.20. The company had a trading volume of 2,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,672. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $30.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.54. The stock has a market cap of $449.09 million, a PE ratio of 12.36 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 has a one year low of $17.69 and a one year high of $35.13.
Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Sierra Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.48% and a net margin of 17.91%. The firm had revenue of $52.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.30 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Sierra Bancorp Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.10%.
Insider Transactions at Sierra Bancorp
In related news, Director James C. Holly sold 5,000 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,081,462.60. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Albert L. Berra sold 2,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.24, for a total value of $81,889.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now 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. Insiders sold 8,056 shares of company stock worth $244,741 over the last ninety days. 11.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Sierra Bancorp
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $142,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 1,484 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.40% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.
View Our Latest Research Report on BSRR
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.
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