Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) Stock Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average of $30.98

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $30.98 and traded as low as $27.65. Southern First Bancshares shares last traded at $28.30, with a volume of 14,614 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Southern First Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd.

Southern First Bancshares Trading Up 3.5 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.98. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $238.92 million, a PE ratio of 17.26 and a beta of 0.83.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The bank reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $21.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.38 million. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 6.69% and a return on equity of 4.30%. Analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In other news, Director Leighton M. Cubbage sold 1,771 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.34, for a total transaction of $48,419.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,713,233.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,963 shares of company stock valued at $110,306. Corporate insiders own 7.62% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southern First Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Southern First Bancshares by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,860 shares of the bank's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 139,310 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,424,000 after buying an additional 1,730 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 93.5% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Southern First Bancshares by 256.4% during the 4th quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the bank's stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Southern First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at $157,000. 75.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.