Azora Capital LP Invests $645,000 in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. $SFST

Azora Capital LP purchased a new position in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,526 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $645,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SFST. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 666 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 28.7% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,380 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 154.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,633 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.60, for a total value of $46,359.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 50,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,073,329. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.90% of the company’s stock.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

SFST opened at $57.95 on Thursday. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $35.15 and a 52-week high of $62.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $548.21 million, a P/E ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $57.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.67.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.01). Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 9.65%. The company had revenue of $32.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.10 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 5.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SFST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.00.

Southern First Bancshares Company Profile

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.