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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Thursday.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ BSRR opened at $26.66 on Thursday. 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 twelve month low of $19.77 and a twelve month high of $35.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $27.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.27. The firm has a market cap of $368.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sierra Bancorp news, EVP Michael Olague sold 3,563 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 12,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $386,540.35. The trade was a 22.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of the company’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 sale, the director now directly owns 4,157 shares in the company, valued at approximately $133,024. The trade was a 20.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,393 shares of company stock worth $166,994. Corporate insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.