Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Sets New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Southern First Bancshares reached a new 52-week high of $65.09, closing around $64.50 and up 1.3%. The stock’s consensus analyst rating is “Buy,” with a target price of $64.00.
• The bank slightly exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.20 versus the $1.19 consensus, while posting a 16.78% net margin and 10.18% return on equity. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $5.40.
• Institutional investors own about 75% of the company, but insiders sold 2,518 shares worth roughly $155,857 over the past 90 days, including sales by the chief accounting officer and a director.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $65.09 and last traded at $64.50, with a volume of 2107 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFST has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Southern First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $61.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.94. The company has a market cap of $614.57 million, a PE ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 0.68.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 10.18%. The business had revenue of $20.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.30 million. On average, analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In other Southern First Bancshares news, CAO Julie Ann Fairchild sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $94,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $327,600. This represents a 22.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $46,359.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,715 shares in the company, valued at $3,073,329. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 2,518 shares of company stock valued at $155,857 in the last ninety days. 6.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $75,000. Hedge funds and other 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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