Inceptionr LLC Makes New $340,000 Investment in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS)

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $340,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SFBS. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in ServisFirst Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in ServisFirst Bancshares by 169.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 747 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 67.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ServisFirst Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of SFBS opened at $85.47 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54 and a beta of 0.91. 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 50 day moving average of $88.13 and a 200 day moving average of $86.89. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.11 and a twelve month high of $101.37.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.08. ServisFirst Bancshares had a net margin of 23.16% and a return on equity of 14.81%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. This is an increase from ServisFirst Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. ServisFirst Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.21%.

Insider Activity at ServisFirst Bancshares

In other ServisFirst Bancshares news, Director Christopher J. Mettler sold 18,000 shares of ServisFirst Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,546,224.48. The trade was a 50.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 7.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of ServisFirst Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th.

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.