Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

SFST stock opened at $26.45 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $29.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.77. Southern First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $20.75 and a 12-month high of $39.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $215.83 million, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In other Southern First Bancshares news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total transaction of $31,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 83,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,608,437.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Southern First Bancshares news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.13, for a total transaction of $77,825.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,896.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total value of $31,125.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 83,470 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,608,437.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,113 shares of company stock valued at $126,277. Company insiders own 7.62% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFST. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 151,436 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,618,000 after purchasing an additional 32,621 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $809,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 212.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 32,479 shares of the bank’s stock worth $875,000 after acquiring an additional 22,070 shares in the last quarter. rhino investment partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $551,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 61,800 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,293,000 after acquiring an additional 8,938 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

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.