Leighton Cubbage Sells 465 Shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Stock

Key Points

• Director Leighton Cubbage sold 465 Southern First Bancshares shares for approximately $28,249 at an average price of $60.75, reducing his direct stake by 0.95% to 48,300 shares.
• SFST shares rose 0.5% to $62.89, with the stock trading between a 52-week range of $40.90 and $65.09. The company recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.20, slightly ahead of analysts’ $1.19 estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains a “Moderate Buy,” with a $64 consensus price target, while institutional investors own approximately 75% of the company.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) Director Leighton Cubbage sold 465 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.75, for a total value of $28,248.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 48,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,934,225. This represents a 0.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of SFST stock traded up $0.32 on Thursday, reaching $62.89. 73,997 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 111,501. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.90 and a 52 week high of $65.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $594.94 million, a PE ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 0.67. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $62.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.57.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $20.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.30 million. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Southern First Bancshares from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 2.6% during the first 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 during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 4.8% in the first 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 23.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,637 shares of the bank's stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 3,532 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth about $303,000. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 41,850 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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