Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Share Price Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)’s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $50.35 and traded as high as $53.62. Southern First Bancshares shares last traded at $52.99, with a volume of 86,525 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFST has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 2.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.14. The company has a market capitalization of $433.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 0.74.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $31.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.20 million. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 7.63% and a net margin of 11.83%. Sell-side analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In related news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total value of $53,280.00. Following the sale, the director owned 49,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,645,938.08. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 525 shares of company stock worth $23,011. Company insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFST. Fourthstone LLC grew its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 95.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 129,174 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,912,000 after acquiring an additional 62,993 shares during the period. Maltese Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,125,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the third quarter worth approximately $794,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $756,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $654,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

Southern First Bancshares Company Profile

Southern First Bancshares is the bank holding company for Southern First Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company delivers a full spectrum of commercial and consumer banking services designed to meet the needs of small and midsize businesses, professionals, and individual customers. Southern First Bancshares operates under a relationship-driven model, emphasizing personalized service and local decision–making.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking, savings, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside an array of lending solutions covering commercial real estate, construction, equipment financing and small business administration (SBA) loans.