SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST)
Financials · regional banks · NASDAQ
Southern First Bancshares is a relationship-driven commercial bank operating across rapidly growing metropolitan markets in the Southeastern United States.
What SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC does
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that operates Southern First Bank, a commercial bank serving markets in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. The company utilizes a "ClientFIRST" model, which delivers banking products and services through dedicated relationship teams to commercial, consumer, and mortgage loan clients.
Recent developments
In Q2 2026, the company raised $65.2 million in gross proceeds through the issuance of common shares to support growth and strengthened its capital ratios. The company also redeemed a portion of its subordinated notes that were approaching regulatory capital phase-out.
From SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC's filing of 2026-08-03.
Themes: community banking, relationship banking, commercial lending, regional economic growth
Fundamentals
- Price$60.40 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$572M as of 2026-07-28 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+39.9% 2025-10-08 close $43.18 → 2026-10-08 close $60.40
- P/E13.02 as of 2026-10-08
- ROE+8.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.03 as of 2026-09-02
- Beta0.80 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-07-21 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How SFST compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 513 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-10-08
- return on equitymiddle range 559 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 430 covered Financials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
How SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC looks technically
SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) is trading 3.8% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 315 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 18, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 7 trading days ago.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 3.8% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +3.8% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $62.15 | $62.15 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $58.20 | $58.20 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 7 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 7 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in the fourth leg, a pullback against that downward direction; the labelling fails if price closes above 60.48. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 4 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 315 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 315 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 18, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 17.5 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 45.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading around the middle of its 14-day range ($58.21 to $62.47) — its "stochastic" reading is 51 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 51.4 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 1 session |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $65.09 | $65.09 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 7.2% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -7.2% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 47.7% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +47.7% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 7.2% below its highest point of the past year | 7.2% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $65.59 (set on 2021-11-23) | $65.59 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($41.15 to $64.60), and it has given back roughly a quarter of its rise from last year’s low — 18% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $49.36 to $50.11. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 17.9% |
| From the all-time high | it is 7.9% below its all-time high | -7.9% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.6% below a resistance level at $60.77 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-02-06, most recently on 2026-09-01. Since 2024-10-08 it has 14 such levels below the current price and 3 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +0.6% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $3.19 (set on 2000-03-28) | $3.19 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 1795.0% above its all-time low | +1,795% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 50th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.32 between its high and its low — about 2.2% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.32 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $58.51 and $63.27 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $58.51 – $60.89 – $63.27 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.2% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.2% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 1.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (3.8% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 1.7 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.75× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 1 session ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 1 session ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 5 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 5 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.7% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 2.7% gap up opened on 2026-07-27 has been "filled" 49 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 3 sessions to close | 49 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 4.9 percentage points (the stock lost 3.8% while the market gained 1.0%) | -4.9% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 2.2 percentage points (the stock gained 1.6% while the market gained 3.8%) | -2.3% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 9.4 percentage points (the stock gained 8.0% while the market gained 17.5%) | -9.4% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 24.9 percentage points (the stock gained 39.9% while the market gained 15.0%) | +24.9% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 1.3% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 2.1% of the share price. | -1.3% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 3% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $58.54 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 192 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +3.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 3% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-21 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $62.13 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 56 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -2.8% |
Rectangle, either side — forming · the lower entry $59.86 · 64 sessions in
Descending triangle, either side — forming · the lower entry $59.56 · 54 sessions in
Price levels it has turned at before
SFST last closed at $60.40 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 14 prices below its last close and 3 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60.77 | Resistance | 0.6% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-02-06 to 2026-09-01 |
| $59.48 | Support | 1.5% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-10 to 2026-07-08 |
| $62.24 | Resistance | 3.0% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-02-26 to 2026-08-10 |
| $58.17 | Support | 3.7% below the last close | turned there five times · 2026-01-22 to 2026-10-01 |
| $64.07 | Resistance | 6.1% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-07-02 to 2026-09-11 |
| $56.41 | Support | 6.6% below the last close | turned there twice · 2025-12-12 to 2026-06-05 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 4 of five, a pullback against that direction.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $60.48.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $59.67 and $60.48 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction, which fails on a close below $58.21.
This reading has stood for 1 trading day, since 2026-10-08.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · MACD just crossed bullish (12/26/9) · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) · Trading below the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Mean price target$68.50 range $67.00 – $70.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-05. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for SFST
- Consensus EPS estimate$1.26 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-05
- Estimate change, 30 days$0.00 (0.0%) from $1.26, on 2026-08-31, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward0% of 8 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Geographic concentration of operations in specific regional markets.","Sensitivity to interest rate environments and fluctuations in the yield curve.","Credit risk associated with potential real estate market volatility and loan delinquencies."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of SFST's 10-Q filed 2026-05-01 against the prior one filed 2025-10-31.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added reference to examining 'potential disruptions resulting from U.S. federal government funding lapses, shutdowns, or related fiscal policy uncertainty' (2026-05-01 filing)
- Added specific risk language: 'The rate of loan growth in recent years and the lack of seasoning of a portion of our loan portfolio' (2026-05-01 filing)
- Added reference to 'instability or sanctions affecting Venezuela' in geopolitical risks (2026-05-01 filing)
- Removed:
- Removed specific market expansion references: 'The success and costs of our expansion into the Charlotte, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia markets and into potential new markets' changed to generic 'potential new markets' (2025-10-31 filing had specifics)
- Removed phrase 'including due to the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates to incent economic growth' from interest rate environment risk (2025-10-31 filing)
- Removed references to 'trade disputes and tariffs' and 'government shutdowns' appearing separately; consolidated language on geopolitical conflicts (2025-10-31 filing had 'trade disputes and tariffs...government shutdowns')
- Reworded:
- Changed comparison periods from 'three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2025 as compared to three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2024' to 'three-month period ended March 31, 2026 as compared to three-month period ended March 31, 2025' (reflects different reporting quarter)
- Changed financial condition comparison from 'as of September 30, 2025 as compared to December 31, 2024' to 'as of March 31, 2026 as compared to December 31, 2025' (reflects different reporting quarter)
- Changed annual report reference from 'year ended December 31, 2024' to 'year ended December 31, 2025'
- Changed forward-looking statement disclaimer reference from 'year ending December 31, 2025' to 'year ending December 31, 2026'
- Rephrased geopolitical risks section: older version referenced specific conflicts; newer version reorganized as 'war, terrorism, or other geopolitical conflicts or instability, including the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, instability or sanctions affecting Venezuela, and tensions between China and Taiwan' with restructured descriptive language
- Rephrased regulatory risks: 'Changes in political, economic, legislative, or regulatory conditions' (2026-05-01) versus 'Changes in political conditions or the legislative or regulatory environment' (2025-10-31)
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different fiscal quarters (Q1 2026 vs Q3 2025), which naturally requires updating comparison periods and forward-looking date references.
- Text appears truncated at end of newer filing ('which we refer to as "C') preventing full assessment of later sections.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 17 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 30 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($18982) · 1 sell ($499171) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($18982) · 17 sells ($2M) — 1 buying, 4 selling insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-041 buy ($18982) · 19 sells ($2M) — 1 buying, 5 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-09-18. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about SFST's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding SFST as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 1,490,549
- Reported value $91,072,561
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 1 new, 4 increased, 0 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about SFST's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
SFST had 414,144 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
SFST had 4.37% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 5.08 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 414,144
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 4.37%
- Prior settlement (shares) 369,118
- Reported change 12.2%
- Days to cover (reported) 5.08
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- SouthState Bank (SSB)
- United Community Bank (UCB)
- Renasant Bank (RNST)
- TowneBank (TOWN)
- Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP)
- Synovus Financial (SNV)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) do?
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that operates Southern First Bank, a commercial bank serving markets in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. The company utilizes a "ClientFIRST" model, which delivers banking products and services through dedicated relationship teams to commercial, consumer, and mortgage loan clients.
What sector is SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) in?
SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is regional banks. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC's (SFST) competitors?
Notable peers of SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) include SouthState Bank, United Community Bank, Renasant Bank, TowneBank and Pinnacle Financial Partners. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) overbought or oversold right now?
SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC (SFST) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on SFST come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.