Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on SFST. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Southern First Bancshares from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern First Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:SFST opened at $55.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $460.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95 and a beta of 0.74. Southern First Bancshares has a one year low of $29.80 and a one year high of $62.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $55.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.90 million. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 8.63% and a net margin of 13.52%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In other Southern First Bancshares news, insider Silvia T. King sold 2,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.49, for a total value of $158,786.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 3,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,721.87. This trade represents a 39.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SFST. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the second quarter worth about $75,000. Institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

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.