Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Stake in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,645 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $2,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 4.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,699,645 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $378,228,000 after acquiring an additional 221,507 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 34.0% during the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,438,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $95,484,000 after purchasing an additional 364,720 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in ServisFirst Bancshares by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,230,925 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,775,000 after purchasing an additional 36,302 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 929,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $58,733,000 after buying an additional 43,125 shares during the period. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 837,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $55,782,000 after buying an additional 40,866 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.31% of the company’s stock.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Down 2.0 %

SFBS stock opened at $84.50 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a PE ratio of 23.15 and a beta of 0.87. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $45.21 and a 52 week high of $86.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.06 and a 200 day moving average of $67.83.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 15th. The financial services provider reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $114.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.80 million. ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 14.19% and a net margin of 21.25%. Sell-side analysts forecast that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. ServisFirst Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Rodney Eldon Rushing sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.58, for a total value of $966,960.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 307,837 shares in the company, valued at $24,805,505.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 7.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFBS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Hovde Group upped their price target on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $68.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th.

ServisFirst Bancshares Company Profile

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.