Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $62.20 and last traded at $61.9440, with a volume of 67483 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.47. The firm has a market cap of $573.73 million, a PE ratio of 14.18 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $32.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.10 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 9.65%. Sell-side analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current 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 stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $46,359.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,073,329. This trade represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFST. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 990 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $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.