StockNews.com initiated a hedge on the shares of Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR – Get a rating) in a research note published Wednesday. The brokerage has set a “hold” rating on the shares of the financial services provider.

Separately, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Investar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a Wednesday, February 2, report.

Shares of Investar Share opened at $20.07 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $207.58 million, a P/E ratio of 26.41 and a beta of 0.63. Investar has a 12-month low of $17.08 and a 12-month high of $23.69. The company has a debt ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company’s fifty-day simple moving average is $19.08.

Investar (NASDAQ:ISTR – Get a rating) last reported 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 in the quarter. Investar achieved a return on equity of 2.26% and a net margin of 7.44%. Equity research analysts expect Investar to post EPS of 2.25 for the current fiscal year.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently changed their positions in the company. Marshall Wace North America LP bought a new stock position in Investar in Q2, valued at around $210,000. Savant Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Investar in Q4 worth approximately $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 valued at $241,000 after acquiring 1,658 additional shares last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings of Investar shares by 28.9% in Q3. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 11,270 shares of the financial services provider valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 2,530 shares last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new position in Investar shares in Q2 valued at around $361,000. Institutional investors hold 55.62% of the company’s shares.

About Investar (Get a rating)

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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