Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyWall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.
Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.00.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Southern First Bancshares
Southern First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3%
Shares of SFST opened at $55.70 on Friday. Southern First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $29.14 and a fifty-two week high of $56.73. The company’s fifty day moving average is $51.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.09. The firm has a market cap of $456.13 million, a PE ratio of 17.24 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.
Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $31.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.20 million. Analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director David G. Ellison sold 1,000 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $53,280.00. Following the sale, the director owned 49,661 shares in the company, valued at $2,645,938.08. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased a total of 525 shares of company stock worth $23,011 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.06% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% during 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 last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 111.3% in 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.