Northern Trust Corp Boosts Stake in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS)

Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 632,066 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,916 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.16% of ServisFirst Bancshares worth $53,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 3,394 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 7,345 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 20,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 53,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,522,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 67.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ServisFirst Bancshares Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE SFBS opened at $72.79 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $76.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.29. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.51 and a 52-week high of $101.37. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50 and a beta of 0.83.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.18 by ($0.02). ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 14.81% and a net margin of 23.16%. The business had revenue of $131.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. Research analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. ServisFirst Bancshares’s payout ratio is 30.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $96.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ServisFirst Bancshares news, Director Christopher J. Mettler sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.68, for a total value of $1,596,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,546,224.48. The trade was a 50.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

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.