Insider Selling: Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Sells $50,416.00 in Stock

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Leighton Cubbage sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.02, for a total value of $50,416.00. Following the sale, the director owned 49,915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,145,643.30. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of SFST opened at $61.97 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $586.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.68. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.90 and a 52-week high of $65.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $61.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.47.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $20.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.30 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 10.18%. Research analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SFST shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research lowered Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southern First Bancshares has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position 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 worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.