Key Points
- Director Leighton Cubbage sold 800 SFST shares at an average price of $63.02, worth $50,416, reducing his ownership by 1.58% to 49,915 shares.
- Southern First Bancshares recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.20, slightly exceeding the $1.19 consensus estimate, while shares traded near $63.01—close to the company’s 52-week high of $65.09.
- Analyst sentiment remains a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $64.00, although Zacks Research recently downgraded the stock to “Hold”; institutional investors own about 75% of shares.
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) Director Leighton Cubbage sold 800 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.02, for a total value of $50,416.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,915 shares in the company, valued at $3,145,643.30. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Southern First Bancshares Trading Down 0.0%
Shares of NASDAQ SFST opened at $63.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $596.07 million, a P/E ratio of 13.49 and a beta of 0.68. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.90 and a 1-year high of $65.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $61.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.42.
Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.01. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 16.78%.The company had revenue of $20.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.30 million. Equities research analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms recently commented on SFST. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Southern First Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Southern First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern First Bancshares has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on SFST
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 34,910 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,149,000 after purchasing an additional 890 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Southern First Bancshares by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,603 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,193,000 after purchasing an additional 3,074 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Southern First Bancshares by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,637 shares of the bank's stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 3,532 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $303,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 41,850 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.00% of the company's stock.
Southern First Bancshares Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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