Teton Advisors Inc. Sells 3,000 Shares of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST)

Teton Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFST) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,000 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Teton Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.47% of Southern First Bancshares worth $1,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFST. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in Southern First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $809,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 212.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 32,479 shares of the bank’s stock worth $875,000 after purchasing an additional 22,070 shares in the last quarter. rhino investment partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $551,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Southern First Bancshares by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 61,800 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,293,000 after purchasing an additional 8,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ELCO Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Southern First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $207,000. Institutional investors own 75.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on SFST. StockNews.com lowered Southern First Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Piper Sandler raised Southern First Bancshares from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $34.00 to $44.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd.

Southern First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of SFST stock traded down $0.92 on Tuesday, reaching $25.82. The stock had a trading volume of 19,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,244. The stock has a market cap of $210.69 million, a P/E ratio of 15.74 and a beta of 0.78. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.75 and a 1 year high of $39.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.80.

Insider Transactions at Southern First Bancshares

In other news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was 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 approximately $2,608,437.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 996 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO R Arthur Seaver, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of Southern First Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.13, for a total value of $77,825.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,970 shares in the company, valued at $2,831,896.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,113 shares of company stock worth $126,277 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.62% of the company’s stock.

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.