Welch Group LLC Has $79.83 Million Position in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS)

Welch Group LLC trimmed its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 974,185 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 61,439 shares during the period. ServisFirst Bancshares comprises about 3.5% of Welch Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest position. Welch Group LLC owned approximately 1.78% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $79,825,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 169.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 521,065 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $44,155,000 after buying an additional 29,247 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 464,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,354,000 after buying an additional 36,711 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,858,000. Finally, Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth about $428,000. 67.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Performance

SFBS stock traded up $1.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $74.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 44,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 224,696. The stock has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.91 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $73.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.53. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.51 and a 1 year high of $101.37.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by ($0.02). ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 23.16%. The company had revenue of $131.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $134.13 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. ServisFirst Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $96.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

About ServisFirst Bancshares

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.