Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Stock Price Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)’s stock price passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $55.36 and traded as high as $61.74. Southern First Bancshares shares last traded at $59.10, with a volume of 98,090 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SFST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern First Bancshares has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Down 2.7%

The firm has a market cap of $485.80 million, a PE ratio of 15.80 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.10. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 8.76% and a net margin of 13.52%.The company had revenue of $1.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.90 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern First Bancshares news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total value of $53,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 49,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,645,938.08. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 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.