Investar Holding Corporation Announces Pricing of

BATON ROUGE, La., March 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investar Holding Corporation (“Investar”) (NASDAQ: ISTR ), the parent holding company of Investar Bank, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 1,411,765 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $21.25 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $30.0 million. The net proceeds to Investar, after deducting the underwriting discount, are expected to be approximately $28.5 million. Investar has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 211,765 shares of Investar common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount.

Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. served as the sole book-running manager for the offering, Raymond James & Associates, Inc. served as lead manager, and Hovde Group, LLC and Piper Jaffray served as co-managers.

Investar expects to use the net proceeds from the common stock offering for general corporate purposes, including investments in Investar Bank and potential strategic acquisitions. Investar expects to close the offering, subject to customary conditions, on or about March 22, 2017.

Additional Information Regarding the Offering

The offering of common stock is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement (File No. 333-215238) filed by Investar with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement has been filed with the SEC to which this communication relates. Prospective investors should read the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and other documents Investar has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Investar and the offering.  Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the common stock offering can be obtained without charge by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , or may be obtained from Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P., 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10020, Attn: Syndicate Operations, Telephone Number: 1-866-805-4128.

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. There will be no sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offering of the common stock is being made only by means of a written prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Investar

Investar Holding Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, provides full banking services, excluding trust services, through its wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Investar Bank, a state chartered bank. Investar's primary market is South Louisiana and it currently operates 10 full service banking offices located throughout its market. At December 31, 2016, Investar had 152 full-time equivalent employees.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions about our business that are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those described in this press release. You should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of future events.

Additional information regarding factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in any forward-looking statements are described in reports and registration statements we file with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, copies of which are available on Investar's internet website http://www.investarbank.com .

Investar disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any forward-looking statement may be based except as required by law.

Contact: Investar Holding Corporation Chris Hufft Chief Financial Officer (225) 227-2215 Chris.Hufft@investarbank.com