Southern First Bancshares (SFST)
NASDAQ:SFST
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Southern First Bancshares
(NASDAQ:SFST)
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Rating:69Neutral
Price Target:
$63.00
▲(9.03% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:06/03/26
The score is driven primarily by improving financial performance (higher margins/ROE, better leverage, solid cash generation) with supportive, upward-leaning technicals. Valuation appears reasonable on P/E but lacks dividend-yield support in the provided data, while corporate events are a modest positive due to strong quarterly performance and balance-sheet strengthening via the equity raise.
Positive Factors
Capital Strength
The sizable equity raise materially increases regulatory and loss-absorbing capital, lowering funding risk and enabling organic loan and deposit growth without pushing leverage higher. Strong reported CET1 and TCE enhance the bank’s capacity to expand lending and absorb stress over coming quarters.
Negative Factors
Top-line Pressure
A declining top line erodes operating leverage and constrains the firm’s ability to absorb fixed costs, potentially limiting reinvestment and margin resilience. If revenue weakness persists, management may need to slow expansion or increase pricing, affecting medium-term earnings stability.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Capital Strength
The sizable equity raise materially increases regulatory and loss-absorbing capital, lowering funding risk and enabling organic loan and deposit growth without pushing leverage higher. Strong reported CET1 and TCE enhance the bank’s capacity to expand lending and absorb stress over coming quarters.
Read all positive factors
Southern First Bancshares (SFST) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$531.29M
Dividend YieldN/A
Average Volume (3M)17.98K
Price to Earnings (P/E)13.6
Beta (1Y)0.90
Revenue Growth6.94%
EPS Growth90.91%
CountryUS
Employees297
SectorFinancial
Sector Strength70
IndustryBanks - Regional
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)4.32
Shares Outstanding9,455,165
10 Day Avg. Volume14,806
30 Day Avg. Volume17,982
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.14
Price to Book (P/B)1.12
Price to Sales (P/S)1.85
P/FCF Ratio13.88
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.31
Enterprise Value/Revenue3.39
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit5.71
Enterprise Value/Ebitda14.39
Forecast
1Y Price TargetN/A
Price Target UpsideN/A
Rating ConsensusN/A
Number of Analyst Covering0
EPS Forecast (FY)5.42
Revenue Forecast (FY)$140.60M
Southern First Bancshares Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Southern First Bank that provides various banking products and services to general public in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. It operates through three segments: ...
How the Company Makes Money
Southern First Bancshares primarily makes money through its banking subsidiary by earning interest and fees from financial services.
1) Net interest income (core earnings driver): The bank generates interest income from loans (e.g., commercial an...
Southern First Bancshares Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
72
Positive
Balance Sheet
66
Positive
Cash Flow
74
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 205.66M | 224.62M | 213.32M | 187.46M | 127.64M | 110.26M |
| Gross Profit | 121.89M | 115.14M | 93.33M | 86.25M | 101.44M | 117.23M |
| EBITDA | 48.42M | 44.34M | 24.72M | 22.24M | 41.81M | 63.12M |
| Net Income | 34.99M | 30.37M | 15.53M | 13.43M | 29.11M | 46.71M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 4.58B | 4.40B | 4.09B | 4.06B | 3.69B | 2.93B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 114.58M | 86.13M | 34.87M | 46.29M | 162.94M | 200.61M |
| Total Debt | 264.90M | 264.90M | 264.90M | 311.32M | 211.21M | 36.11M |
| Total Liabilities | 4.20B | 4.03B | 3.76B | 3.74B | 3.40B | 2.65B |
| Stockholders Equity | 379.41M | 368.66M | 330.44M | 312.47M | 294.51M | 277.90M |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 32.93M | 29.88M | 24.77M | 16.41M | 36.35M | 51.56M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 33.65M | 30.46M | 25.56M | 17.65M | 50.30M | 78.07M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -250.82M | -206.33M | -28.86M | -378.57M | -792.58M | -410.63M |
| Financing Cash Flow | 254.89M | 282.60M | 9.99M | 346.22M | 745.94M | 399.08M |
Southern First Bancshares Technical Analysis
Positive
57.78
Price Trends
56.52
Positive
56.12
Positive
51.66
Positive
Market Momentum
0.39
Negative
58.07
Neutral
69.79
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SFST, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 57.78 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 56.76, above the 50-day MA of 56.52, and above the 200-day MA of 51.66, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.39 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 58.07 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 69.79 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for SFST.
Southern First Bancshares Risk Analysis
Southern First Bancshares disclosed 46 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Southern First Bancshares reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Southern First Bancshares Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
76 Outperform | $409.86M | 10.39 | 13.31% | 1.66% | 7.75% | 217.94% | |
74 Outperform | $395.56M | 11.48 | 13.67% | 4.39% | 0.02% | 34.44% | |
73 Outperform | $569.86M | 17.28 | 6.16% | 5.87% | -19.77% | ― | |
70 Outperform | $373.67M | 10.66 | 9.85% | 3.18% | 6.00% | 31.08% | |
69 Neutral | $531.29M | 13.64 | 9.65% | ― | 6.94% | 90.91% | |
68 Neutral | $447.48M | 13.78 | 5.85% | ― | 13.13% | 119.50% | |
68 Neutral | $18.00B | 11.42 | 9.92% | 3.81% | 9.73% | 1.22% |
* Financial Sector Average
SFST
Southern First Bancshares
58.45
22.65
63.27%
WTBA
West Bancorporation
23.91
5.56
30.31%
BWFG
Bankwell Financial Group
53.24
18.20
51.93%
MSBI
Midland States Bancrop
28.52
12.61
79.26%
FMAO
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp
27.86
5.50
24.58%
PDLB
Ponce Financial Group Inc
18.80
5.44
40.72%
Southern First Bancshares Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
Southern First Bancshares Adds Veteran Banker to Board
Positive
Jun 2, 2026
On June 1, 2026, Southern First Bancshares, Inc. and Southern First Bank appointed veteran commercial banker Bryan Kennedy to their Boards of Directors and to the Boards’ Risk Committee. Kennedy, who recently retired after a 43-year banking ...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesFinancial DisclosuresPrivate Placements and FinancingShareholder Meetings
Southern First Shareholders Endorse Strategy and Governance Initiatives
Positive
May 20, 2026
At the May 19, 2026 annual meeting, Southern First Bancshares shareholders voted on the election of 16 directors, a non-binding say-on-pay resolution and the ratification of Elliott Davis, LLC as independent public accountant for 2026. With 91.05%...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial DisclosuresPrivate Placements and Financing
Southern First Bancshares Posts Strong Q1 2026 Results
Positive
Apr 21, 2026
Southern First Bancshares reported strong first-quarter 2026 results on April 21, 2026, with net income of $9.9 million and diluted EPS of $1.19, up 83% from a year earlier, driven by 29% growth in net interest income and a wider 2.88% net interes...
Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
Southern First Bancshares Announces Common Stock Public Offering
Positive
Apr 16, 2026
On April 15, 2026, Southern First Bancshares, Inc. priced an underwritten public offering of 1,050,000 shares of common stock at $54.00 per share, with a 30‑day option for underwriters to purchase up to an additional 157,500 shares. The deal...
Financial DisclosuresPrivate Placements and Financing
Southern First Bancshares Launches Equity Offering Amid Strong Quarter
Positive
Apr 15, 2026
On April 15, 2026, Southern First Bancshares announced the launch of an underwritten public offering of its common stock, signaling a move to raise additional equity capital. The planned raise comes as the bank reports strong preliminary first-qua...
Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
Southern First Extends Revolving Credit Facility to 2027
Neutral
Mar 10, 2026
On March 5, 2026, Southern First Bancshares, Inc. amended its existing $15 million revolving credit facility with TIB, National Association, extending the maturity of the line of credit to March 5, 2027 and adjusting certain terms under a Modifica...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.