Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

SFST has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

SFST opened at $53.48 on Friday. Southern First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $29.14 and a 12-month high of $62.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $440.14 million, a PE ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $55.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.81.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.90 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 8.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Silvia T. King sold 2,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.49, for a total transaction of $158,786.25. Following the sale, the insider owned 3,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $239,721.87. This trade represents a 39.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 24,959 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358 shares during the period. Zacks Investment Management grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 56,985 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,936,000 after purchasing an additional 9,377 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Azora Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $645,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 54,352 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,800,000 after buying an additional 2,358 shares in the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.