ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. $SFBS Shares Acquired by Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo increased its holding in ServisFirst Bancshares (SFBS) by 4.3% to 536,197 shares (about 0.98% ownership, approximately $38.5 million), and institutional investors now own roughly 67.31% of the company.
• ServisFirst beat expectations for the latest quarter with EPS of $1.58 versus $1.38 estimated and revenue of $162.2M versus $151.8M, while the stock trades at a $4.27B market cap and a PE of 15.45.
• The company pays a $0.38 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.52, ~1.9% yield; ex-dividend Apr 1), and analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $93.67 and several price targets up to $97.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Free Report) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 536,197 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 21,994 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 0.98% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $38,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 17.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 2,465 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 70.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,989 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 3,730 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 30,194 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,494,000 after acquiring an additional 1,308 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 107.3% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 146,442 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $12,096,000 after acquiring an additional 75,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares in the first quarter valued at $204,000. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of SFBS opened at $78.18 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $66.48 and a 52-week high of $90.64.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $162.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.82 million. ServisFirst Bancshares had a net margin of 26.95% and a return on equity of 16.36%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. ServisFirst Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Piper Sandler raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $89.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ServisFirst Bancshares has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $93.67.

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.

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