Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

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 Performance

Shares of Southern First Bancshares stock opened at $26.45 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $215.83 million, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.82. Southern First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $20.75 and a 12 month high of $39.36.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total value of $31,125.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,470 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,608,437.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total transaction of $31,125.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,470 shares in the company, valued at $2,608,437.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.13, for a total transaction of $77,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,896.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,113 shares of company stock valued at $126,277 over the last 90 days. 7.62% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.