Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Leighton Cubbage Sells 465 Shares of Stock

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Director Leighton Cubbage sold 465 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.75, for a total value of $28,248.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,300 shares in the company, valued at $2,934,225. The trade was a 0.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

SFST opened at $62.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $594.94 million, a P/E ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 0.67. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.90 and a 12-month high of $65.09.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01. Southern First Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.18% and a net margin of 16.78%.The company had revenue of $20.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.30 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on SFST shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southern First Bancshares in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.