Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Shares Pass Above Fifty Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) shares passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $55.36 and traded as high as $61.74. Southern First Bancshares shares last traded at $59.10, with a volume of 98,090 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SFST. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Down 2.7%

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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.12. The company has a market cap of $485.80 million, a PE ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 0.77.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.10. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 8.76%. The business had revenue of $1.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.90 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In related news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 49,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,645,938.08. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 111.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the bank’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southern First Bancshares

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.