Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $37.53 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.60 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 10.18%.

Southern First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFST opened at $60.93 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $61.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.97. Southern First Bancshares has a 1-year low of $40.91 and a 1-year high of $65.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $576.09 million, a PE ratio of 13.05 and a beta of 0.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southern First Bancshares news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.26, for a total transaction of $74,712.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 47,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,932,446. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Julie Fairchild sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $94,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,200 shares in the company, valued at $327,600. The trade was a 22.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,615 shares of company stock worth $351,739. 6.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

More Southern First Bancshares News

Here are the key news stories impacting Southern First Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings per share rose to $1.28, up from $1.07 a year earlier and ahead of analyst estimates of approximately $1.25–$1.26. Southern First Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Net income increased 41% to approximately $12.2 million, while the bank benefited from a stronger net interest margin. Southern First Q3 Profit Rises 41%
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings beat, higher per-share profit and margin expansion prompted coverage describing the report as an earnings-strength catalyst for SFST shares. Southern First Bancshares Stock Climbs on Q3 Earnings Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was $37.53 million, essentially in line with but slightly below the $37.60 million consensus estimate, limiting the upside from the otherwise strong quarter. Southern First Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

About Southern First Bancshares

Southern First Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Through its subsidiary, Southern First Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to businesses, professionals and individuals.

Southern First Bank offers commercial and consumer deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate loans, business loans, construction and development financing, and other credit products. Its services also include treasury and cash-management solutions, online and mobile banking, and related personal and business banking services.

Founded in 1999, Southern First serves customers through banking offices in South Carolina and North Carolina, including markets such as Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, and the Charlotte, North Carolina, area.