Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Monday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.00.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Southern First Bancshares stock opened at $58.24 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $53.73 and a 200-day moving average of $47.55. Southern First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $29.14 and a 52-week high of $59.45. The stock has a market cap of $476.99 million, a PE ratio of 15.57 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In other news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of Southern First Bancshares 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,645,938.08. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Southern First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew 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 purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in 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 worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 111.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is 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.