Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemWall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Sunday.
Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.
Get Our Latest Research Report on SFST
Southern First Bancshares Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ SFST opened at $55.25 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $454.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.77 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.26. Southern First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $29.14 and a 12 month high of $62.00.
Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.10. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 8.63%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.90 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.70 EPS. Analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares
In related news, insider Silvia T. King sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.49, for a total value of $158,786.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 3,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,721.87. The trade was a 39.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate 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 added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake 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 valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in 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 valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth about $75,000. 75.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.