Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Makes New Investment in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. $SFST

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,150 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $498,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.09% of Southern First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SFST. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,998,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 147.3% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 34,706 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after buying an additional 20,673 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 17.7% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 150,607 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $8,208,000 after buying an additional 22,700 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 39.7% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 60,578 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 17,228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Azora Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $645,000. Institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In related news, CAO Julie Ann Fairchild sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $94,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $327,600. This represents a 22.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,145,643.30. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,318 shares of company stock worth $206,273. 6.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of SFST opened at $61.97 on Thursday. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.90 and a 12 month high of $65.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $586.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 10.18%. The firm had revenue of $20.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.30 million. Research analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.