Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) Short Interest Update

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 57,500 shares, a decline of 13.9% from the December 31st total of 66,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 18,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Down 2.5 %

SFST traded down $0.96 during trading on Friday, reaching $36.80. 16,579 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,961. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Southern First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $24.98 and a fifty-two week high of $45.90. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.75. The stock has a market cap of $300.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17 and a beta of 0.85.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.29. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 4.85%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Southern First Bancshares will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Julie Ann Fairchild sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.23, for a total transaction of $45,230.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,840 shares in the company, valued at $264,143.20. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFST. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,066 shares of the bank’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $101,000. Princeton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $204,000. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,295 shares of the bank’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. Finally, De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 15.6% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 12,591 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. 75.00% of the stock is currently 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.