ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $47.6667.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on ServisFirst Bancshares from $45.50 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 22nd.

ServisFirst Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of SFBS opened at $43.20 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $43.73 and a 200-day moving average of $40.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72 and a beta of 0.86. ServisFirst Bancshares has a 1 year low of $33.60 and a 1 year high of $46.04.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78. The business had revenue of $168.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.85 million. ServisFirst Bancshares had a net margin of 30.95% and a return on equity of 17.42%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ServisFirst Bancshares will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. ServisFirst Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 67.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ServisFirst Bancshares Company Profile

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and the parent of ServisFirst Bank. The company specializes in commercial banking services, catering primarily to small and mid-sized businesses, professionals and entrepreneurs. Its product portfolio encompasses commercial real estate lending, commercial and industrial loans, deposit accounts, treasury management and other ancillary banking products designed to meet the financial needs of its clients.

ServisFirst Bank offers a full suite of deposit products, including interest-bearing checking, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a variety of loan products.