ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) Stock Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Passed above its 50-day moving average: ServisFirst's share price moved above the 50‑day MA of $79.13, trading as high as $79.91 and last at $79.56 on volume of 221,497 shares.
• Analyst consensus—Moderate Buy: Analysts' ratings range from Strong Buy to Hold, yielding a consensus of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.67.
• Solid recent results and dividend: The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.58 vs. $1.38; revenue $162.21M vs. $151.82M) and announced a $0.38 quarterly dividend (1.9% yield, ~30% payout ratio).

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $79.13 and traded as high as $79.91. ServisFirst Bancshares shares last traded at $79.5630, with a volume of 221,497 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research downgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Hovde Group boosted their price target on ServisFirst Bancshares from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Raymond James Financial upgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $93.67.

ServisFirst Bancshares Price Performance

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 simple moving average of $79.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.46. The company has a market cap of $4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 0.89.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $151.82 million. As a group, research analysts predict that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ServisFirst Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,541,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 514,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,409,000 after acquiring an additional 48,993 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 127.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 33,439 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,693,000 after acquiring an additional 18,760 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 962,164 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $77,483,000 after acquiring an additional 199,772 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,696,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $217,130,000 after acquiring an additional 129,732 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.31% of the company's stock.

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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