Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Stock Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average of $31.81

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) shares crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $31.81 and traded as low as $28.30. Southern First Bancshares shares last traded at $28.40, with a volume of 7,274 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on SFST. Piper Sandler raised shares of Southern First Bancshares from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $34.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $30.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.81. The stock has a market cap of $231.74 million, a PE ratio of 17.32 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.13, for a total value of $77,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,831,896.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, 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 owns 90,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,831,896.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total value of $31,125.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,470 shares in the company, valued at $2,608,437.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,513 shares of company stock worth $109,477. 7.62% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Southern First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SFST. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 256.4% during the fourth quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Southern First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $157,000. ELCO Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Wagner Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Southern First Bancshares

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.