Short Interest in Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Decreases By 8.8%

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) saw a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 54,700 shares, a decrease of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 60,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 47,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on BSRR. StockNews.com lowered Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Insider Transactions at Sierra Bancorp

In related news, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $35,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.15, for a total value of $110,987.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,409 shares in the company, valued at $386,540.35. This represents a 22.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,668 shares of company stock worth $146,346. 11.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sierra Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $137,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $142,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $216,000. 55.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ BSRR opened at $30.82 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $443.43 million, a PE ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Sierra Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $17.69 and a fifty-two week high of $35.13.

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

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. 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 3.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.59%.

About Sierra Bancorp

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.