Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Issues Earnings Results

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 15.21%.The business had revenue of $20.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.30 million.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFST opened at $61.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $580.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.90. Southern First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $38.30 and a fifty-two week high of $64.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SFST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $46,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,715 shares in the company, valued at $3,073,329. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFST. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 990 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $156,000. Institutional investors 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.