Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) Stock: Insider Kevin Mcphaill Sells 4,000 Shares

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) CEO Kevin Mcphaill sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.85, for a total value of $171,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 63,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,734,129.95. This represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Sierra Bancorp Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of BSRR opened at $41.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $543.02 million, a PE ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a fifty day moving average of $40.15 and a 200 day moving average of $38.23. Sierra Bancorp has a 52-week low of $27.93 and a 52-week high of $44.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:BSRR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.27. Sierra Bancorp had a net margin of 25.32% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The company had revenue of $40.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.23 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sierra Bancorp will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Sierra Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 2nd. Sierra Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.84%.

Key Stories Impacting Sierra Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Sierra Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Sierra Bancorp from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” adding a notable bullish catalyst for the stock. BSRR was also included on Zacks’ Rank #1 momentum and Strong Buy lists. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for October 29th
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target to $48.50 and maintained a Buy rating, implying additional upside from recent trading levels. However, the broader analyst consensus remains Hold with an average target of $43.75. Sierra Bancorp Stock Price Expected to Rise, DA Davidson Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $1.18 versus a $0.91 estimate, while revenue reached $40.08 million compared with expectations of $39.23 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% indicated yield.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership stands at 55.4%, with major investors including BlackRock, Jupiter Topco and Manufacturers Life Insurance recently establishing positions. This may provide longer-term institutional support.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kevin Mcphaill sold 4,000 shares for approximately $171,400, reducing his direct ownership by 5.9%. Director Lynda Scearcy separately sold 5,850 shares, cutting her position by 19.4%. Multiple insider sales can create short-term caution, although the transactions do not necessarily indicate a change in business outlook. Sierra Bancorp Insider Buying and Selling

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on BSRR. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sierra Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sierra Bancorp in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Sierra Bancorp from $40.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Sierra Bancorp from $47.00 to $48.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sierra Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Sierra Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,346,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Sierra Bancorp by 32.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 344,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,673,000 after acquiring an additional 85,098 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $14,576,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $7,503,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sierra Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $53,249,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

About Sierra Bancorp

Sierra Bancorp is the bank holding company for Bank of the Sierra, a community bank headquartered in Porterville, California. Founded in 1977, the bank serves individuals, families, farmers, small businesses and commercial customers in California’s Central Valley and surrounding communities.

Bank of the Sierra provides a range of banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and residential lending, commercial real estate loans, business banking, agricultural financing and online and mobile banking.