ServisFirst Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFBS – Get Rating) published its quarterly results on Monday. The financial services provider reported EPS of $1.14 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.01, MarketWatch Earnings reports. ServisFirst Bancshares posted a net margin of 46.29% and a return on equity of 18.82%. In the same period a year earlier, the company had earned earnings per share of $0.92.

ServisFirst Banc share price performance

Shares of SFBS opened at $79.02 on Tuesday. ServisFirst Bancshares has a 1 year minimum of $65.00 and a 1 year maximum of $97.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a fifty-day moving average price of $79.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.96.

ServisFirst Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 8. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 1 received a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 30. This represents an annualized dividend of $0.92 and a dividend yield of 1.16%. ServisFirst Bancshares’ dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.41%.

A Wall Street analyst gives his opinion

Several equity analysts have commented on SFBS shares. StockNews.com launched coverage on ServisFirst Bancshares shares in a research note on Thursday, March 31. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. DA Davidson reduced its price target on ServisFirst Bancshares shares from $97.00 to $94.00 in a Tuesday, April 19 research report.

Insider Activity at ServisFirst Bancshares

In the same vein, Director Irma Loya Tuder purchased 2,000 ServisFirst Bancshares shares in a transaction that took place on Friday, June 10. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $76.60 per share, with a total value of $153,200.00. Following completion of the transaction, the administrator now directly owns 42,215 shares of the company, valued at $3,233,669. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available via this link. In other ServisFirst Bancshares news, Director J. Richard Cashio sold 1,454 shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in a trade on Monday June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.13, for a total value of $119,417.02. Following the transaction, the administrator now directly owns 448,045 shares of the company, valued at $36,797,935.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available on the SEC’s website. Additionally, director Irma Loya Tuder acquired 2,000 shares of the company in a transaction on Friday, June 10. The shares were acquired at an average price of $76.60 per share, for a total transaction of $153,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 42,215 shares of the company, valued at approximately $3,233,669. Disclosure of this purchase can be found here. 8.31% of the shares are held by company insiders.

Institutional entries and exits

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its stake in ServisFirst Bancshares by 110.2% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,457 shares of the financial services provider valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in ServisFirst Bancshares by 9.1% in the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the financial services provider valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares in the first quarter worth $591,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in ServisFirst Bancshares by 40.5% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 9,350 shares of the financial services provider valued at $899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,696 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its equity stake in ServisFirst Bancshares by 5.7% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 12,035 shares of the financial services provider worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. 62.48% of the shares are currently held by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ServisFirst Bancshares

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ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc operates as a bank holding company for ServisFirst Bank which provides various retail and corporate banking services. 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 loan products, such as seasonal, bridging and term loans for working capital, business expansion, acquisition of property, 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, deposit-backed loans, and secured and unsecured personal loans.

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