Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 0.5 %

BSRR stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $29.04. 22,017 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 36,094. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.77. The company has a market capitalization of $405.51 million, a PE ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 0.89. Sierra Bancorp has a twelve month low of $17.70 and a twelve month high of $35.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.72 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Sierra Bancorp news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,540.35. This trade represents a 22.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $35,328.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $133,024. This trade represents a 20.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,393 shares of company stock valued at $166,994. 11.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sierra Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new position in Sierra Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $137,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Sierra Bancorp by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 8,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.