Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 9.65%. The company had revenue of $20.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.30 million.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 0.5%

SFST opened at $61.72 on Wednesday. Southern First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $38.30 and a fifty-two week high of $64.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $59.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $583.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on SFST. Weiss Ratings raised Southern First Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern First Bancshares

In other news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total transaction of $46,359.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 50,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,073,329. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position 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. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $156,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

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.