Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $62.50 and last traded at $61.90, with a volume of 13623 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $61.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on SFST. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southern First Bancshares presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Up 2.1%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $57.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $590.08 million, a PE ratio of 14.58 and a beta of 0.68.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.01). Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 9.65%. The company had revenue of $32.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.10 million. Analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In other Southern First Bancshares news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in 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. lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 4.8% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 23.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,637 shares of the bank’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 3,532 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the first quarter worth $303,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 14.2% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 41,850 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,592,000 after buying an additional 5,200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.