Investar Holding Corporation Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.11 (NASDAQ:ISTR)

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of 0.11 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, January 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st.

Investar has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 10 years. Investar has a dividend payout ratio of 19.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Investar to earn $2.36 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.44 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.6%.

Investar Price Performance

ISTR traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $27.61. The company had a trading volume of 25,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,836. Investar has a twelve month low of $15.39 and a twelve month high of $27.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $24.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.60. The company has a market capitalization of $270.81 million, a PE ratio of 12.32 and a beta of 0.55.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported ($1.06) earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $25.46 million for the quarter. Investar had a return on equity of 9.38% and a net margin of 14.87%. Equities research analysts predict that Investar will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Investar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ISTR. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Investar by 66.0% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 52,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $929,000 after purchasing an additional 20,794 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc raised its holdings in shares of Investar by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 157,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,767,000 after acquiring an additional 11,703 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Investar by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 110,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 18,148 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Investar in the 1st quarter worth $264,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Investar in the 1st quarter valued at about $493,000. Institutional investors own 50.17% of the company’s stock.

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.