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

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 Performance

Shares of ISTR stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,478. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Investar has a one year low of $14.60 and a one year high of $24.81. The company has a market capitalization of $191.34 million, a PE ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 0.81.

Investar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Investar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.46%.

Insider Transactions at Investar

In related news, Director Scott G. Ginn bought 8,475 shares of Investar stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $23.68 per share, for a total transaction of $200,688.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,688. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 8.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered 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.