Oak Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ:OVLY) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Oak Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ:OVLY) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

Oak Valley Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ OVLY opened at $24.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $203.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.06 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.41. Oak Valley Bancorp has a 1-year low of $23.00 and a 1-year high of $32.24.

Oak Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ:OVLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter. Oak Valley Bancorp had a return on equity of 14.28% and a net margin of 28.03%.

Oak Valley Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Oak Valley Bancorp’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Oak Valley Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.87%.

Insider Transactions at Oak Valley Bancorp

In other news, Director H Randolph Holder, Jr. acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.97 per share, with a total value of $155,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 147,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,834,029.01. This trade represents a 4.24 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Strong acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $27.17 per share, with a total value of $27,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $321,747.14. The trade was a 9.22 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 9,924 shares of company stock valued at $256,577. Insiders own 19.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oak Valley Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OVLY. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 190.2% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $59,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $163,000. Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares in the last quarter. 30.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oak Valley Bancorp Company Profile

Oak Valley Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Oak Valley Community Bank that provides a range of commercial banking services to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses in the Central Valley and the Eastern Sierras. The company's deposits products include checking and savings, money market, health savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.