Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,903 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Sierra Bancorp were worth $171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in Sierra Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $2,818,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in Sierra Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $1,146,000. Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 176,985 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,111,000 after purchasing an additional 28,495 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sierra Bancorp by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 194,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,619,000 after purchasing an additional 21,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Sierra Bancorp by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 65,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,902,000 after purchasing an additional 19,025 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Sierra Bancorp from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sierra Bancorp news, Director Julie G. Castle sold 1,104 shares of Sierra Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was 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 $133,024. The trade was a 20.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.86% of the company’s stock.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Performance

Sierra Bancorp stock opened at $31.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Sierra Bancorp has a one year low of $17.69 and a one year high of $35.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $29.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $448.37 million, a PE ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 0.92.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted 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 net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 11.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Sierra Bancorp will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sierra Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is a positive change from Sierra Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Sierra Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 35.59%.

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.