Insider Selling: Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Sells 600 Shares of Stock

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Anne S. Ellefson sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $16,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,712 shares in the company, valued at $187,936. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Down 2.6 %

SFST traded down $0.73 during trading on Thursday, hitting $27.29. The company had a trading volume of 18,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,463. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $30.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.78. The company has a market capitalization of $222.69 million, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $20.75 and a one year high of $39.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Piper Sandler upgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $44.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 151,436 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 32,621 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 1.3% during the first quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 139,310 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,424,000 after buying an additional 1,730 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Southern First Bancshares by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 61,800 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,293,000 after acquiring an additional 8,938 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 212.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 32,479 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 22,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $809,000. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Southern First Bancshares

Southern First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern First Bank that provides commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans to the general public in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. The company accepts various deposit products that include checking accounts, commercial checking accounts, and savings accounts, as well as other time deposits, including daily money market accounts and long-term certificates of deposit.