ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) Shares Cross Below 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:SFBS) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $40.85 and traded as low as $40.50. ServisFirst Bancshares shares last traded at $40.8130, with a volume of 422,008 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SFBS. Weiss Ratings raised ServisFirst Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Zacks Research lowered ServisFirst Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen cut ServisFirst Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 30th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on ServisFirst Bancshares from $47.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded ServisFirst Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $50.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.50.

ServisFirst Bancshares Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.85. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.92.

ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $172.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.13 million. ServisFirst Bancshares had a return on equity of 17.66% and a net margin of 32.53%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ServisFirst Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. ServisFirst Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 24.28%.

Institutional Trading of ServisFirst Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 11.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of ServisFirst Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 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. Through its subsidiary, ServisFirst Bank, the company provides commercial and consumer banking services, with a focus on serving businesses, professionals and individuals. Its offerings include commercial and consumer loans, deposit accounts, treasury and cash-management services, and online and mobile banking. The bank also provides services such as wealth management and mortgage lending. Founded in 2005, ServisFirst Bank has expanded beyond Alabama into markets across the southeastern United States, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.