Renaissance Technologies LLC Boosts Holdings in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. $SFST

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Free Report) by 17.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 150,607 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 22,700 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 1.59% of Southern First Bancshares worth $8,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFST. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 62,534 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,408,000 after buying an additional 1,956 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 33.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 44,527 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,427,000 after acquiring an additional 11,065 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 147.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 34,706 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,891,000 after acquiring an additional 20,673 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 0.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 380,368 shares of the bank's stock valued at $20,730,000 after acquiring an additional 2,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 3,764.7% in the first quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,570 shares of the bank's stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 6,400 shares in the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of SFST opened at $63.45 on Tuesday. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.30 and a twelve month high of $64.06. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $60.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $600.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.68. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $20.40 million during 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 10.76%. Equities analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southern First Bancshares news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $46,359.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,073,329. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Southern First Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Southern First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $64.00.

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.

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