Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Upgraded 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 issued on Friday.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Up 3.9 %

NASDAQ:SFST opened at $27.47 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.77. 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 $224.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.75 and a beta of 0.82. Southern First Bancshares has a twelve month low of $21.65 and a twelve month high of $39.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,608,437.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of Southern First Bancshares 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.13, for a total transaction of $77,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,831,896.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,113 shares of company stock worth $126,277 in the last 90 days. 7.62% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 256.4% during the 4th quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 93.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,921 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $157,000. ELCO Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $207,000. Finally, Wagner Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $209,000. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.