Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on SFST. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ SFST opened at $52.21 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $50.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.31. The stock has a market cap of $427.60 million, a PE ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Southern First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $29.14 and a fifty-two week high of $56.73.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.18. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 7.63% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company had revenue of $31.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.20 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In other news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 49,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,645,938.08. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 525 shares of company stock valued at $23,011. 7.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in Southern First Bancshares by 111.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the period. 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.