BOTJ vs ISTR: Correlation
How closely do Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. (BOTJ) and Investar Holding Corporation (ISTR) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are BOTJ and ISTR?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of BOTJ and ISTR correlate at 0.41, moderate. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.20) runs below the 3-year figure (0.41). Stretching to 5 years gives 0.35, with an annualized covariance of 333.2 %².
Few assets follow BOTJ as closely as ISTR, which ranks #2 of 16 tracked partners. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months BOTJ outperformed by 46.2 percentage points (+78.5% for BOTJ against +32.3% for ISTR).
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
BOTJ vs ISTR: side by side
| BOTJ (Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc.) | ISTR (Investar Holding Corporation) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +78.5% | +32.3% |
| 5-year return | +119.5% | +50.1% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 25.5% | 32.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.22 | 0.84 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -27.8% | -35.3% |
| Market cap | $0.1B | $0.4B |
| P/E (trailing) | 10.6 | 12.4 |
| Dividend yield | 1.50% | 1.50% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | BOTJ | ISTR |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -21.2% | +19.0% |
| 2023 | +5.8% | -28.6% |
| 2024 | +34.1% | +50.7% |
| 2025 | +20.3% | +24.2% |
| 2026 | +46.4% | +14.2% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are BOTJ and ISTR good diversifiers for each other?
A fair diversifier. At 0.41, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
FAQ
What is the correlation between BOTJ and ISTR?
The BOTJ/ISTR correlation stands at 0.41 on a 3-year window (1 year: 0.20, 5 years: 0.35), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is ISTR a good diversifier for BOTJ?
A fair diversifier. At 0.41, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
What does a correlation of 0.41 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.41 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/botj-vs-istr.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/botj-vs-istr/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: BOTJ correlations · ISTR correlations