ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give ServisFirst a consensus "Buy" rating (1 hold, 2 buy, 2 strong-buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $93.67, and several firms recently raised targets (Hovde $97, Raymond James $95, Piper Sandler to overweight/$89).
• Most recent quarter beat expectations: EPS $1.58 vs. $1.38 consensus and revenue $162.21M vs. $151.82M, with a return on equity of 16.36% and net margin of 26.95%.
• ServisFirst raised its quarterly dividend to $0.38 (annualized $1.52, ~1.9% yield); the stock opened at $79.17, trades in a 52‑week range of $66.48–$90.64, has a market cap of $4.32B and a P/E of 15.65.

Shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the five brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $93.6667.

Several research firms recently issued reports on SFBS. Hovde Group increased their target price on ServisFirst Bancshares from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Piper Sandler raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $89.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial upgraded 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ServisFirst Bancshares

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFBS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 214.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 311 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 523.6% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 343 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 105.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 566 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.31% of the company's stock.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Performance

NYSE:SFBS opened at $79.17 on Friday. ServisFirst Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $66.48 and a fifty-two week high of $90.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $80.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65 and a beta of 0.91.

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. ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 16.36% and a net margin of 26.95%.The company had revenue of $162.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.82 million. Equities research analysts forecast that ServisFirst Bancshares will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from ServisFirst Bancshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. ServisFirst Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.04%.

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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