Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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. In addition to traditional banking services, Southern First Bancshares provides residential mortgage lending, cash management, treasury services and digital banking platforms that enable online account management, mobile deposits and real-time payments.

With a branch network focused primarily across Upstate South Carolina—and select markets in neighboring North Carolina and Georgia—Southern First Bancshares leverages its regional footprint to support local economic growth. The bank’s leadership team comprises experienced banking executives and community business leaders who guide strategy, risk management and client engagement initiatives. Through ongoing investment in technology and community outreach, Southern First Bancshares aims to strengthen its position as a trusted financial partner for businesses and individuals across the Southeastern region.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $56.32 to $57.20
• 50-Day Range: $51.26 to $61.08
• 52-Week Range: $34.51 to $62.00
• Volume: 10,057 shs
• Average Volume: 97,424 shs
• Market Capitalization: $535.86 million
• P/E Ratio: 13.22
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: $64.00
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Southern First Bancshares Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Southern First Bancshares scored higher than 70% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 580th out of 878 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Southern First Bancshares has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.67, and is based on no strong buy ratings, 2 buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Upside Potential

Southern First Bancshares has a consensus price target of $64.00, representing about 12.6% upside from its current price of $56.85.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Southern First Bancshares has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 3.1 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 18.89%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Southern First Bancshares are expected to grow by 18.89% in the coming year, from $5.03 to $5.98 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Southern First Bancshares is 13.28, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.37.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Southern First Bancshares is 13.28, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 23.20.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Southern First Bancshares has a P/B Ratio of 1.42. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.51% of the float of Southern First Bancshares has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Southern First Bancshares has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.96, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Southern First Bancshares has recently increased by 1.34%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

Southern First Bancshares does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

Southern First Bancshares does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.1 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.34

News Sentiment

Southern First Bancshares has a news sentiment score of 0.34. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.69 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 2 news articles for Southern First Bancshares this week, compared to 1 article on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.4 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Southern First Bancshares insiders have sold 658.29% more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $20,940.00 in company stock and sold $158,786.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

6.90% of the stock of Southern First Bancshares is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

75.00% of the stock of Southern First Bancshares is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

SFST Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have SFST shares performed this year?

Southern First Bancshares' stock was trading at $51.52 at the beginning of the year. Since then, SFST stock has increased by 10.3% and is now trading at $56.85.

How were Southern First Bancshares' earnings last quarter?

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April, 21st. The bank reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.01. The bank had revenue of $32.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.10 million. Southern First Bancshares had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 9.65% and a net margin of 15.21%.

Who are Southern First Bancshares' major shareholders?

Top institutional investors of Southern First Bancshares include Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (4.02%), Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.30%), Bank of New York Mellon Corp (0.25%) and Sheets Smith Wealth Management (0.23%). Insiders that own company stock include R Arthur Seaver Jr, Leighton M Cubbage, David G Ellison, David Andrew Borrmann, Calvin C Hurst, Anne S Ellefson, Julie Ann Fairchild, Silvia T King, William Iv Maner and Anna T Locke.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Southern First Bancshares?

Shares of SFST stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Southern First Bancshares own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Southern First Bancshares investors own include Waste Connections (WCN), The RMR Group (RMR), iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), American Water Works (AWK), AUO (AUOTY) and Triple Flag Precious Metals (TFPM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 4/21/2026
• Today: 5/08/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: BANKS - SOUTHEAST
• Sub-Industry: Banking
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:SFST
• CIK: 1090009
• Web: www.southernfirst.com
• Phone: (864) 679-9000
• Fax: 864-679-9099
• Employees: 290
• Year Founded: 1999

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Southern First Bancshares: $64.00
• High Price Target: $64.00
• Low Price Target: $64.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +12.6%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.67
• Research Coverage: 3 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $4.28
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 13.29
• Forward P/E Ratio: 11.30
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $30.37 million
• Net Margins: 15.21%
• Pretax Margin: 19.64%
• Return on Equity: 9.65%
• Return on Assets: 0.79%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.70
• Current Ratio: 1.10
• Quick Ratio: 1.10

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $125.39 million
• Price / Sales: 4.29
• Cash Flow: $4.28 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 13.27
• Book Value: $40.13 per share
• Price / Book: 1.42

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 9,455,000
• Free Float: 8,803,000
• Market Cap: $537.61 million
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.68