Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Competitors

$60.22 +0.50 (+0.83%)

As of 03:21 PM Eastern

SFST vs. ABCB, CATY, CCNE, FMBH, and FRME

Should you buy Southern First Bancshares stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Southern First Bancshares with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Southern First Bancshares include Ameris Bancorp (ABCB), Cathay General Bancorp (CATY), CNB Financial (CCNE), First Mid Bancshares (FMBH), and First Merchants (FRME). These companies are all part of the "finance" sector.

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Ameris Bancorp?

Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 5.7% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its share price is 9% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its share price is 32% less volatile than the broader market.

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. Southern First Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ameris Bancorp	$1.20B	5.01	$358.68M	$6.36	14.08
Southern First Bancshares	$224.62M	2.54	$30.37M	$4.28	14.07

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 4 more articles in the media than Southern First Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 0 mentions for Southern First Bancshares. Ameris Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.62 beat Southern First Bancshares' score of 0.00 indicating that Ameris Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Ameris Bancorp	Positive
Southern First Bancshares	Neutral

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to Southern First Bancshares' net margin of 15.21%. Southern First Bancshares' return on equity of 9.65% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ameris Bancorp	21.46%	9.57%	1.32%
Southern First Bancshares	15.21%	9.65%	0.79%

Ameris Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $92.17, indicating a potential upside of 2.95%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus price target of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.29%. Given Southern First Bancshares' higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ameris Bancorp	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71
Southern First Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats Southern First Bancshares on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Cathay General Bancorp?

Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, media sentiment, risk, earnings, dividends, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Cathay General Bancorp has a beta of 0.86, meaning that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market.

Cathay General Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. Cathay General Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern First Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cathay General Bancorp	$1.38B	2.98	$315.12M	$4.85	12.71
Southern First Bancshares	$224.62M	2.54	$30.37M	$4.28	14.07

In the previous week, Cathay General Bancorp had 2 more articles in the media than Southern First Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Cathay General Bancorp and 0 mentions for Southern First Bancshares. Cathay General Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 1.38 beat Southern First Bancshares' score of 0.00 indicating that Cathay General Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Cathay General Bancorp	Positive
Southern First Bancshares	Neutral

Cathay General Bancorp presently has a consensus target price of $51.75, indicating a potential downside of 16.05%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus target price of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.29%. Given Southern First Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than Cathay General Bancorp.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cathay General Bancorp	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Southern First Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

75.0% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 4.5% of Cathay General Bancorp shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Cathay General Bancorp has a net margin of 23.79% compared to Southern First Bancshares' net margin of 15.21%. Cathay General Bancorp's return on equity of 11.37% beat Southern First Bancshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cathay General Bancorp	23.79%	11.37%	1.38%
Southern First Bancshares	15.21%	9.65%	0.79%

Summary

Cathay General Bancorp beats Southern First Bancshares on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to CNB Financial?

CNB Financial (NASDAQ:CCNE) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and profitability.

CNB Financial currently has a consensus price target of $34.33, suggesting a potential upside of 2.24%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus price target of $64.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.29%. Given Southern First Bancshares' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than CNB Financial.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CNB Financial	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.80
Southern First Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

In the previous week, CNB Financial had 1 more articles in the media than Southern First Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for CNB Financial and 0 mentions for Southern First Bancshares. CNB Financial's average media sentiment score of 0.44 beat Southern First Bancshares' score of 0.00 indicating that CNB Financial is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
CNB Financial	Neutral
Southern First Bancshares	Neutral

52.3% of CNB Financial shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 2.9% of CNB Financial shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

CNB Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. CNB Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern First Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CNB Financial	$303.05M	3.28	$66.13M	$2.81	11.95
Southern First Bancshares	$224.62M	2.54	$30.37M	$4.28	14.07

CNB Financial has a net margin of 17.62% compared to Southern First Bancshares' net margin of 15.21%. CNB Financial's return on equity of 12.14% beat Southern First Bancshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CNB Financial	17.62%	12.14%	1.16%
Southern First Bancshares	15.21%	9.65%	0.79%

CNB Financial has a beta of 0.64, suggesting that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.68, suggesting that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

CNB Financial beats Southern First Bancshares on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Mid Bancshares?

First Mid Bancshares (NASDAQ:FMBH) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings.

First Mid Bancshares has a net margin of 19.95% compared to Southern First Bancshares' net margin of 15.21%. First Mid Bancshares' return on equity of 10.44% beat Southern First Bancshares' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Mid Bancshares	19.95%	10.44%	1.23%
Southern First Bancshares	15.21%	9.65%	0.79%

First Mid Bancshares currently has a consensus price target of $49.50, indicating a potential upside of 3.80%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus price target of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.29%. Given Southern First Bancshares' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Southern First Bancshares is more favorable than First Mid Bancshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Mid Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Southern First Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

47.6% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.0% of First Mid Bancshares shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

First Mid Bancshares has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. First Mid Bancshares is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern First Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Mid Bancshares	$466.04M	2.72	$91.75M	$3.97	12.01
Southern First Bancshares	$224.62M	2.54	$30.37M	$4.28	14.07

In the previous week, First Mid Bancshares' average media sentiment score of 0.00 equaled Southern First Bancshares'average media sentiment score.

Company	Overall Sentiment
First Mid Bancshares	Neutral
Southern First Bancshares	Neutral

First Mid Bancshares has a beta of 0.8, meaning that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.68, meaning that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

First Mid Bancshares beats Southern First Bancshares on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Merchants?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, media sentiment and risk.

First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Southern First Bancshares has a beta of 0.68, suggesting that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the broader market.

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than Southern First Bancshares. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Southern First Bancshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants	$1.05B	2.56	$226M	$3.40	12.58
Southern First Bancshares	$224.62M	2.54	$30.37M	$4.28	14.07

First Merchants has a net margin of 18.87% compared to Southern First Bancshares' net margin of 15.21%. Southern First Bancshares' return on equity of 9.65% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Merchants	18.87%	9.58%	1.21%
Southern First Bancshares	15.21%	9.65%	0.79%

73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.0% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of Southern First Bancshares shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

First Merchants presently has a consensus target price of $48.33, indicating a potential upside of 13.05%. Southern First Bancshares has a consensus target price of $64.00, indicating a potential upside of 6.29%. Given First Merchants' higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe First Merchants is more favorable than Southern First Bancshares.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Merchants	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33
Southern First Bancshares	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.67

In the previous week, First Merchants had 2 more articles in the media than Southern First Bancshares. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for First Merchants and 0 mentions for Southern First Bancshares. First Merchants' average media sentiment score of 0.92 beat Southern First Bancshares' score of 0.00 indicating that First Merchants is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
First Merchants	Positive
Southern First Bancshares	Neutral

Summary

First Merchants beats Southern First Bancshares on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding SFST and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

SFST vs. The Competition

Export

Metric	Southern First Bancshares	BANKS Industry	Finance Sector	NASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap	$569.84M	$1.96B	$13.85B	$12.22B
Dividend Yield	N/A	2.45%	5.75%	5.82%
P/E Ratio	14.07	16.94	20.32	24.00
Price / Sales	2.54	3.25	138.72	120.01
Price / Cash	13.71	12.65	19.52	54.51
Price / Book	1.34	1.29	2.24	6.44
Net Income	$30.37M	$146.81M	$1.14B	$337.14M
7 Day Performance	3.91%	2.78%	0.69%	-0.36%
1 Month Performance	5.05%	5.05%	1.27%	0.61%
1 Year Performance	60.32%	27.95%	14.93%	27.86%

Southern First Bancshares Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
SFST Southern First Bancshares	3.0475 of 5 stars	$60.22 +0.8%	$64.00 +6.3%	+64.2%	$569.84M	$224.62M	14.07	290
ABCB Ameris Bancorp	3.6704 of 5 stars	$88.31 +0.5%	$90.17 +2.1%	+41.5%	$5.94B	$1.20B	16.95	2,850	Dividend Announcement Analyst Upgrade
CATY Cathay General Bancorp	2.3711 of 5 stars	$60.30 +0.3%	$51.75 -14.2%	+36.7%	$4.03B	$844.88M	12.43	1,268	Positive News
CCNE CNB Financial	3.5528 of 5 stars	$32.21 -1.1%	$34.33 +6.6%	+47.2%	$964.72M	$432.51M	11.46	760
FMBH First Mid Bancshares	3.6868 of 5 stars	$46.00 +0.3%	$49.50 +7.6%	+29.0%	$1.22B	$355.25M	11.59	1,170

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This page (NASDAQ:SFST) was last updated on 6/24/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Competitors

SFST vs. ABCB, CATY, CCNE, FMBH, and FRME

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Ameris Bancorp?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Cathay General Bancorp?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to CNB Financial?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Mid Bancshares?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Merchants?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

SFST vs. The Competition

Southern First Bancshares Competitors List

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Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools

About MarketBeat

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Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Competitors

SFST vs. ABCB, CATY, CCNE, FMBH, and FRME

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Ameris Bancorp?

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in ABCB or SFST?

Which has more volatility & risk, ABCB or SFST?

Which has better valuation and earnings, ABCB or SFST?

Does the media favor ABCB or SFST?

Is ABCB or SFST more profitable?

Do analysts rate ABCB or SFST?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to Cathay General Bancorp?

Which has more volatility and risk, CATY or SFST?

Which has higher earnings & valuation, CATY or SFST?

Does the media favor CATY or SFST?

Do analysts recommend CATY or SFST?

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in CATY or SFST?

Is CATY or SFST more profitable?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to CNB Financial?

Do analysts recommend CCNE or SFST?

Does the media prefer CCNE or SFST?

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of CCNE or SFST?

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, CCNE or SFST?

Is CCNE or SFST more profitable?

Which has more volatility and risk, CCNE or SFST?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Mid Bancshares?

Is FMBH or SFST more profitable?

Do analysts rate FMBH or SFST?

Do institutionals and insiders believe in FMBH or SFST?

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, FMBH or SFST?

Does the media favor FMBH or SFST?

Which has more risk & volatility, FMBH or SFST?

Summary

How does Southern First Bancshares compare to First Merchants?

Which has more volatility and risk, FRME or SFST?

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, FRME or SFST?

Is FRME or SFST more profitable?

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in FRME or SFST?

Do analysts recommend FRME or SFST?

Does the media refer more to FRME or SFST?

Summary

New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

Media Sentiment Over Time

SFST vs. The Competition

Southern First Bancshares Competitors List

Related Companies and Tools

MarketBeat All Access Features

Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring

Stock Ideas and Recommendations

Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools