Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $63.90 and last traded at $63.85, with a volume of 47032 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SFST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southern First Bancshares presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 3.2%

The stock has a market cap of $603.44 million, a PE ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a 50 day moving average of $58.80 and a 200-day moving average of $56.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $32.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.10 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 9.65%. Equities research analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $46,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 50,715 shares in the company, valued at $3,073,329. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.