ISTR
Unloved QualityInvestar Holding Corporation · Financial Services · United States · $386M cap · $2.3M/day traded
$28.15 +0.0% · close 12 Nov · scored 13 Nov
Unloved Quality: Strong and cheap, but the market has not warmed to it.
As of 13 Nov 2026, the MoatMap Score for Investar Holding Corporation (ISTR) is 61/100, ranked against 25,000+ stocks in 38 markets (Quality 54, Value 53, Momentum 49, each scored against its sector).
Does the score work? Each tenth of the ranking, tracked monthly. See the record →
ABOUT INVESTAR HOLDING CORPORATION
Read
Investar Holding Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Investar Bank, providing a full range of commercial and retail banking services to small and medium-sized businesses and individuals primarily across Louisiana and Texas. The company distinguishes itself through a strong focus on relationship-based community banking, fostering deep client ties within its localized markets. This approach enables it to capture and retain customers in its specific operating regions, offering a competitive advantage against larger national banks.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 108.4M | 82.4M | 82.4M | 90.2M | -5.9% | 134.5M | 146.4M | 153.5M | 30.4% |
| EPS | 3.54 | 1.69 | 2.06 | 2.22 | -14.4% | 2.62 | 3.11 | 3.19 | 19.9% |
| Shares | 9.9M | 9.7M | 9.8M | 9.8M | -1.0% | — | — | — | — |
| Debt | 439.7M | 76.5M | 92.6M | 141.6M | -31.5% | 234.7M | — | — | — |
| Equity | 215.8M | 226.8M | 241.3M | 301.1M | 11.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 42.7M | 26.2M | 15.9M | 18.2M | -24.7% | 18.2M | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | -351.0M | -73.5M | 90.1M | -83.9M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | 251.5M | 39.0M | -110.1M | 79.3M | — | — | — | — | — |
No clear trend: not near its 52-week low, and not in a steady uptrend.
Calmer than 91% of stocks we rank over the past year (volatility 21% a year).
How this is worked out
The Price check reads only the chart, the price side of the Momentum score in words; it is not the MoatMap Score.
- Still falling: It set a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, after a deep fall.
- Finding a floor: It fell hard, but has set no new low for more than two weeks.
- Turning up: It has climbed off its low and is back above a rising 50-day average.
- In an uptrend: It is near its 52-week high and above its 200-day average.
- No clear trend (this stock): None of the above: no recent deep fall and no steady climb.
- No read yet: Not enough price history yet: it needs a year of trading.
In past US falls, waiting for Turning up cut the chance of another 20% drop from 42% to 33%. Returns were no better, and 33% of turns failed.
The exact rules
Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high, with the low set after the high. Finding a floor is the same fall with no new low in the last two weeks. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average, with the 50-day average above the 200-day, and within 15% of the high. No clear trend is everything else. No read yet is under 252 trading days of history, or missing data. A new state shows once it has held for three trading days.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn (the Turning up rule above) cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: how much the price moved day to day over the past year, scaled to a yearly figure (annualised volatility) and ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Financial Services, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of ISTR are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISTR | Investar Holding Corporation(you) | $386M | 61 |
| CBAN | Colony Bankcorp, Inc. | $432M | 60 |
| FVCB | FVCBankcorp, Inc. | $308M | 59 |
| BPRN | Princeton Bancorp, Inc. | $307M | 63 |
| OVLY | Oak Valley Bancorp | $287M | 60 |
| WSBF | Waterstone Financial, Inc. | $359M | 66 |
| AVBC | Avidia Bancorp, Inc. | $419M | 55 |
| AVBH | Avidbank Holdings, Inc. | $348M | 67 |
| FRST | Primis Financial Corp. | $379M | 69 |
| COSO | CoastalSouth Bancshares, Inc. | $334M | 68 |
Peer medians: ROE 9.6% · P/E 12.8x · Gross margin 71.0%
Company Deep Dive
A 10,000-word report: the business and its segments, what management promised on earnings calls and whether it delivered, the competition, and how things could turn out.