American Century Companies Inc. Acquires 14,966 Shares of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST - Free Report) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,559 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 14,966 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 1.20% of Southern First Bancshares worth $3,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SFST. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 37.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,066 shares of the bank's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Southern First Bancshares by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,041 shares of the bank's stock worth $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,065 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 136.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,518 shares of the bank's stock worth $495,000 after acquiring an additional 8,390 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,506 shares of the bank's stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,105 shares of the bank's stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. 75.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Down 5.1 %

SFST traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $30.81. 22,840 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,172. The stock has a market cap of $251.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05 and a beta of 0.73. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.98 and a 1-year high of $45.91. The stock's 50-day moving average is $33.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.29. Southern First Bancshares had a net margin of 7.28% and a return on equity of 4.85%. Sell-side analysts predict that Southern First Bancshares, Inc. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.