Insider Buying: Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Acquires $20,940.00 in Stock

by · The Markets Daily

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST – Get Free Report) Director William Iv Maner acquired 400 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $52.35 per share, with a total value of $20,940.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 3,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $187,674.75. The trade was a 12.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SFST traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $52.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 74,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 60,758. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $29.14 and a fifty-two week high of $62.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $432.90 million, a P/E ratio of 14.06 and a beta of 0.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $55.88 and its 200-day moving average is $50.06.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.90 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 8.63%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.70 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SFST. Wall Street Zen raised Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southern First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Read Our Latest Report on SFST

Institutional Trading of Southern First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in 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 Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the second quarter worth $75,000. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern First Bancshares Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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