Welch Group LLC Has $72.04 Million Stake in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. $SFBS

Key Points

• Welch Group LLC raised its stake in ServisFirst Bancshares to 1,003,503 shares (worth $72.04 million) in Q4, a 2.0% increase (+19,727 shares), making SFBS the fund's ninth-largest holding and representing 1.84% of the company.
• Institutional ownership stands at 67.31%, with multiple other investors (e.g., Deprince Race & Zollo, Wedge Capital, State of Alaska) also increasing positions during the quarter.
• Recent company and market highlights: SFBS reported an EPS beat ($1.58 vs. $1.38 est.) and revenue beat ($162.21M), pays a quarterly dividend of $0.38 (2.0% yield), trades around $75.71 with a P/E of 14.96, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" (target $93.67).

Welch Group LLC raised its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,003,503 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,727 shares during the period. ServisFirst Bancshares accounts for approximately 2.8% of Welch Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Welch Group LLC owned 1.84% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $72,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. BCR Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $610,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 27,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 536,197 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $38,494,000 after purchasing an additional 21,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 39,545 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,839,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.31% of the company's stock.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE SFBS opened at $75.71 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $78.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96 and a beta of 0.89. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.48 and a 12-month high of $90.64.

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

ServisFirst Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st were given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 1st. ServisFirst Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is 30.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

About ServisFirst Bancshares

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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