Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Invests $557,000 in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. $SFST

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,113 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $557,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.10% of Southern First Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its position in Southern First Bancshares by 2.3% during the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 19,639 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,200,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $677,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,022,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $1,786,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $5,619,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In related news, CAO Julie Ann Fairchild sold 1,500 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $94,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $327,600. This trade represents a 22.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 400 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $25,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,765 shares in the company, valued at $3,072,195. The trade was a 0.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,468 shares of company stock valued at $278,740 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

Southern First Bancshares stock opened at $62.57 on Thursday. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.90 and a 1 year high of $65.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.57. The company has a market cap of $591.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $20.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.30 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 10.18%. Sell-side analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SFST. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

About Southern First Bancshares

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.