Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Short Interest Down 16.2% in May

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 52,900 shares, a decrease of 16.2% from the April 30th total of 63,100 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 17,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFST traded up $1.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.80. The company had a trading volume of 11,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,364. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $292.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65 and a beta of 0.77. Southern First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $25.95 and a 12-month high of $45.91. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.40.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $26.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.56 million. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 4.85% and a net margin of 7.28%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Iv Maner purchased 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.15 per share, with a total value of $25,305.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $97,605. This represents a 35.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 7.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the bank's stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 18.1% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 5,725 shares of the bank's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 9,638.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,012 shares of the bank's stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 6,940 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $286,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,506 shares of the bank's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southern First Bancshares

Southern First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern First Bank that provides commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans to the general public in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. The company accepts various deposit products that include checking accounts, commercial checking accounts, and savings accounts, as well as other time deposits, including daily money market accounts and long-term certificates of deposit.