Quantbot Technologies LP Purchases New Stake in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. $SFST

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP acquired 16,229 shares of Southern First Bancshares in the second quarter, worth approximately $992,000 and representing 0.17% ownership. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00, although Wall Street Zen and Zacks Research downgraded the shares to “Hold.”
• Southern First Bancshares reported quarterly earnings of $1.20 per share, slightly exceeding estimates of $1.19. The stock recently traded at $61.97, near its 52-week high of $65.09, while insiders sold 3,318 shares worth approximately $206,273 during the last quarter.

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 16,229 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $992,000. Quantbot Technologies LP owned 0.17% of Southern First Bancshares as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SFST. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 34,910 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,149,000 after buying an additional 890 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 66,603 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,193,000 after acquiring an additional 3,074 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,637 shares of the bank's stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 3,532 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $303,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 14.2% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 41,850 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares during the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on SFST. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Southern First Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Southern First Bancshares currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

SFST stock opened at $61.97 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.47. The stock has a market cap of $586.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 0.68. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.90 and a 1 year high of $65.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $20.40 million for 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.02, for a total transaction of $50,416.00. Following the sale, the director owned 49,915 shares in the company, valued at $3,145,643.30. The trade was a 1.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Julie Ann Fairchild sold 1,500 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,200 shares in the company, valued at $327,600. This represents a 22.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,318 shares of company stock valued at $206,273 over the last quarter. 6.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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