Stock fact sheet · data as of
Investar Holding Corporation (ISTR): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol ISTR · Financial Services · Banks - Regional · United States · Value
Is ISTR undervalued?
ISTR closed at 28.49 on 5 Nov 2026 against a GLS average fair value of 27.40 - 4.0% above fair value, which our scans read as "fairly priced". 5 of 9 models are above the current price. There is no discount to lean on here, so the margin of safety is not the reason to look at the stock.
The 9 models disagree widely: DCF gives 4.39 while Graham Growth gives 52.19. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, ISTR is clearly cheaper than it is fast-growing, so the nightly engine files it under Value (value score 63, growth score 18, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for ISTR
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 4.39 | -85% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 43.82 | +54% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 52.19 | +83% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 14.62 | -49% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 8.31 | -71% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 50.17 | +76% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 34.78 | +22% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 6.77 | -76% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 31.54 | +11% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -153.91 | -640% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 31.00 | +9% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Financial health is average - ISTR passes 6 of the nine Piotroski tests, which passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. The Financials tab on the Quote page shows which tests fail. The GLS Moat score is 5.1 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 5.0%, ROE 7.6%, ROA 0.8% - with debt at 0.51 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 6.4%.
The dividend yield is 1.61% at a payout ratio of 16%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold.
Institutional ownership scores 7/10, insider activity 4/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | ROIC | 5.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.1 / 10 | ROE | 7.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.51 | ROA | 0.8% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 6.4% | Payout ratio | 16% |
| Institutions | 7 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 4 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 19: No options
ISTR has no listed options in the nightly snapshot, so there is nothing to sell and the stock cannot be wheeled however good the business. It fails the first Wheel Trade Filter (options that actually trade), so the score stays under 70 and is shown as "No options" (19 here). The valuation and quality numbers still apply to owning the shares outright.
Volume runs at 70k shares a day on a market cap of $393M, with a beta of 0.47 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | no listed options |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 4% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | no implied volatility |
| 8 | Big enough | Fails | market cap $393M (under $1.0B) |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 4% above fair value | |
| Premium | Weak | no option data | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.1/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 6/9 | |
| Red Flags | Fair | not scored yet - half marks | |
| Option trading | Weak | no option volume data | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.47, $393M company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Regional
The 12 companies below are the closest to Investar Holding Corporation by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKBK Parke Bancorp, Inc. | 33.44 | 48.92 | +32% | 51Fair | $393M |
| RVRF River Financial Corp. | 50.00 | 110.88 | +55% | 38No options | $391M |
| NWFL Norwood Financial Corp. | 36.59 | 49.63 | +26% | 33No options | $399M |
| MSBC Mission Bancorp | 125.00 | 136.80 | +9% | 26No options | $385M |
| MFGI Merchants Financial Group, Inc. | 47.00 | 38.33 | -23% | 20No options | $384M |
| AVBH Avidbank Holdings, Inc. | 34.92 | 48.67 | +28% | 30No options | $384M |
| FDBC Fidelity D & D Bancorp, Inc. | 70.07 | 66.19 | -6% | 23No options | $407M |
| FCBM First Carolina Financial Services | 13.50 | 26.41 | +49% | 31No options | $408M |
| AVBC Avidia Bancorp, Inc. | 23.05 | 18.93 | -22% | 36Weak | $409M |
| NECB Northeast Community Bancorp, Inc. | 29.87 | 81.27 | +63% | 52Fair | $411M |
| TSBK Timberland Bancorp, Inc. | 48.16 | 46.79 | -3% | 36Weak | $374M |
| FRST Primis Financial Corp | 15.07 | 57.28 | +74% | 41Weak | $374M |
⚖ Compare ISTR with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about ISTR
Is ISTR undervalued right now?
Not meaningfully: at 28.49 the stock trades within a few percent of the GLS average fair value of 27.40 (4.0% above fair value, data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of ISTR and what does it mean?
ISTR has no listed options in our nightly snapshot, so it cannot be wheeled; it fails the first Wheel Trade Filter (options that actually trade), stays under 70 and is shown as "No options".
What is the GLS fair value for ISTR?
27.40 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Investar Holding Corporation report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does ISTR have listed options, and how liquid are they?
No. The nightly options snapshot found no listed contracts on ISTR, so the wheel strategy cannot be run on it and the Wheel Score stays under 70.