Equity research analysts expect Investor Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ISTR) to report earnings per share (EPS) of $0.55 for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Two analysts provided estimates of Investar’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $0.53 and the highest is $0.56. Investar posted earnings of $0.49 per share in the same quarter last year, suggesting a positive year-over-year growth rate of 12.2%. The company is expected to release its next earnings report on Thursday, April 28.

According to Zacks, analysts expect Investar to report annual earnings of $2.22 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.02 to $2.40. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect the company to report earnings of $2.53 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.44 to $2.62. Zacks Investment Research earnings per share averages are an average based on a survey of sell-side research firms that cover Investar.

Investar Inc (NASDAQ:ISTR) last reported quarterly results on Thursday, January 27. The financial services provider reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.56 for the quarter. The company had revenue of $23.15 million for the quarter. Investar posted a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 2.26%.

ISTR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler downgraded Investar from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered its price target for the stock from $27.00 to $20.00 in a Friday, October 15 report. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Investar from a “b” rating to a “c” rating in a Friday, October 22 report.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ISTR. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new equity stake in Investar in Q2 worth approximately $200,000. Marshall Wace North America LP acquired a new stake in Investar during Q2 worth $210,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Investar during Q2 worth $215,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings of Investar shares by 18.7% in the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,539 shares of the financial services provider worth $241,000 after buying 1,658 more shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tibra Equities Europe Ltd bought a new position in shares of Investar in the 2nd quarter for a value of $348,000. Institutional investors hold 55.33% of the company’s shares.

Shares of Investar rose $0.08 on Friday, hitting $19.69. The stock recorded trading volume of 3,514 shares, compared to an average trading volume of 10,146 shares. The company has a market capitalization of $203.54 million, a PE ratio of 25.90 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.34. Investar has a one-year low of $16.96 and a one-year high of $23.69. The company has a debt ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 31. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 31 received a dividend of $0.08. This represents a dividend of $0.32 on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 30. Investar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.11%.

Investar Company Profile

Investar Holding Corp. is a financial holding company that provides comprehensive banking services. It offers a full suite of commercial and retail lending products across all of its market sectors, including small and medium business loans as well as personal loans. Its lending products consist of owner-occupied commercial real estate loans, construction loans, and commercial and industrial loans, such as term loans, equipment financing and lines of credit, while its individuals include first and second mortgages, installment loans and lines of credit.

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