Southern First Bancshares (SFST) to Release Earnings on Thursday

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) is anticipated to post its Q2 2025 quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, July 17th. Analysts expect Southern First Bancshares to post earnings of $0.65 per share and revenue of $26.80 million for the quarter.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $26.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.56 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 5.57%. On average, analysts expect Southern First Bancshares to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:SFST traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $39.91. 16,380 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,609. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $326.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66 and a beta of 0.77. Southern First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $27.65 and a 52-week high of $45.91. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 1,083 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.72, for a total transaction of $38,684.76. Following the sale, the director owned 51,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,829,042.60. The trade was a 2.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William Iv Maner purchased 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.15 per share, for a total transaction of $25,305.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,700 shares in the company, valued at $97,605. This trade represents a 35.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 7.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFST. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 34,910 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,149,000 after buying an additional 890 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,074 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,532 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the first quarter worth approximately $303,000. 75.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Piper Sandler raised shares of Southern First Bancshares to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $43.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th.

Southern First Bancshares Company Profile

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.