AlphaQuest LLC Has $2.97 Million Stake in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. $SFBS

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in ServisFirst Bancshares by 219.6% during the 2nd quarter, now owning approximately $2.97 million worth of shares.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.335 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.9% and a dividend payout ratio of 28.69%.
• Equities analysts have mixed views on ServisFirst Bancshares, with ratings ranging from "strong sell" to "outperform," and a consensus target price of $86.67.

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Free Report) by 219.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 26,345 shares during the quarter. ServisFirst Bancshares comprises approximately 0.3% of AlphaQuest LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.07% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $2,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SFBS. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its position in ServisFirst Bancshares by 68.9% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,217,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $183,153,000 after purchasing an additional 904,445 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in ServisFirst Bancshares by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,072,614 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $88,598,000 after purchasing an additional 214,879 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in ServisFirst Bancshares by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,902,237 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $487,525,000 after purchasing an additional 187,715 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $12,726,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $7,936,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.31% of the company's stock.

ServisFirst Bancshares Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of SFBS opened at $71.90 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $82.47 and a 200 day moving average of $78.28. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.48 and a fifty-two week high of $101.37. The firm has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 10th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter. ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 15.93% and a net margin of 25.24%.The company had revenue of $104.27 million during the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st were issued a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. ServisFirst Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SFBS shares. Zacks Research cut ServisFirst Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on ServisFirst Bancshares from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Hovde Group lowered their target price on ServisFirst Bancshares from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ServisFirst Bancshares presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $86.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other ServisFirst Bancshares news, CEO Thomas A. Broughton sold 22,206 shares of ServisFirst Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.99, for a total transaction of $1,953,905.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 592,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,141,818.12. The trade was a 3.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

ServisFirst Bancshares Profile

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for ServisFirst Bank that provides various banking services to individual and corporate customers. It accepts demand, time, savings, and other deposits; checking, money market, and IRA accounts; and certificates of deposit. The company's loan products include commercial lending products, including seasonal, bridge, and term loans for working capital, expansion of the business, acquisition of property, and plant and equipment, as well as commercial lines of credit; commercial real estate loans, construction and development loans, and residential real estate loans; and consumer loans, such as home equity loans, vehicle financing, loans secured by deposits, and secured and unsecured personal loans.

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