Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.26 EPS

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.26, Zacks reports. Investar had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 11.35%.

Investar Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ ISTR opened at $19.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $190.55 million, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Investar has a 12-month low of $14.60 and a 12-month high of $24.81. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.97.

Investar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.105 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Investar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.46%.

Insider Activity at Investar

In other news, Director Scott G. Ginn purchased 8,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 8,475 shares in the company, valued at $200,688. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.73% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th.

About Investar

Investar Holding Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Investar Bank that provides a range of commercial banking products to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses in south Louisiana, southeast Texas, and Alabama in the United States. The company offers various deposit products and services, such as savings, checking, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as various certificates of deposit; debit and credit cards; internet, mobile, and video banking services; and reciprocal deposit products.