Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) fair value: what the stock is really worth
As of Sep 23, 2026: fair value of Southern First Bancshares Inc $28.21, price $59.85, upside -52.9%, quality 47 out of 100. Calculated from audited financials with 26 valuation models and 37 quality factors, updated daily.
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Price vs Fair Value
White line = price, green steps = our fair value per fiscal year, dashed = 300-day average. As of Sep 23, 2026.
How to read this chart
60‑month range $21.33 – $65.02 · fair‑value band $26.62 – $33.08 · the $59.85 price screens above the $28.21 fair value. Green steps = our fair value per fiscal year (point-in-time, no hindsight). Dashed = 300-day average. As of Sep 23, 2026.
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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.
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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. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans; construction real estate loans; commercial business loans for various lines of businesses, such as the manufacturing, service industry, and professional service areas; consumer real estate and home equity loans; and other consumer loans, including secured and unsecured installment loans and revolving lines of credit. In addition, the company offers other bank services, such as internet banking, cash management, safe deposit boxes, direct deposit, automatic drafts, bill payment, and mobile banking services. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
Stock analysis
Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) currently trades at $59.85, while our model-based Fair Value estimate is $28.21, implying the stock looks roughly 112.1% overvalued today.
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Valuation
Bull case: the Multiples group reads highest at a median of $41.68 per share, and 0 of the 4 models we run sit above the $59.85 price.
Bear case: the Asset-Based group reads lowest at $26.08, and 4 of the 4 models stay below the price. Evidence for this calculation is medium.
Scenario range: $26.62 (bear) to $33.08 (bull), the price of $59.85 sits above it. Bear and bull are the same models on cautious and optimistic assumptions, a range, not a price target.
Quality & growth
The Quality Score stands at 47/100 (below-average quality), in the Financial Services sector.
Healthy Growth: Revenue growth appears healthy and is supported by profitability and cash-flow quality.
Southern First Bancshares Inc reported revenue of $225M in FY2025 versus $110M in FY2021, a compound +19.5%/yr. Reported net income was $30.4M in FY2025, compounding −10.2%/yr from FY2021.
Key figures
Market cap $558M · P/E ratio 12.9 · P/S ratio 1.74 · EPS (TTM) $4.65 · Net margin 13.5% · Return on equity 9.9% · Return on assets (EBIT) 1.0% · Operating margin 44.0%.
Competitive moat
Our AI-assisted moat analysis scores the competitive advantage at 42 out of 100 (medium confidence).
What moves the price
The share trades about 7% below its 52-week high and 45% above its 52-week low, currently above its 200-day average.
For context, the median of 10 Financial Services peers we cover trades at −38% fair-value upside, at −53%, SFST screens richer than that median.
Fair Value models
Bear $26.62Fair Value $28.21Bull $33.08
Model ⓘEach model values the company its own way (discounted cash flow, earnings, assets, dividends). The fair value above is their evidence-weighted blend, not the output of a single model. Based on fiscal year 2025 figures (about 9 months old). Earnings retained since then ($3.40 per share) are deliberately not added.Bear ⓘBear = the cautious scenario: the same model computed with conservative anchors (lower growth, margins and valuation multiples). Together with Bull it frames a plausible valuation range, not a price target.BaseBull ⓘBull = the optimistic scenario: the same model computed with favourable anchors (higher growth, margins and valuation multiples). Together with Bear it frames a plausible valuation range, not a price target.Evidence ⓘEvidence = how well-backed THIS model's estimate is for this stock (0–100): how complete and reliable its input data are, and how well the model fits the company. The final Fair Value is an evidence-weighted blend, so better-evidenced models count more. Green ≥70, amber 50–69, grey below 50.
Growth Quality ⓘGrowth is valuable only when reinvestment earns attractive returns (Aswath Damodaran): sustainable growth depends on return on capital, reinvestment and efficiency. Basis: total company revenue over the periods shown on the cards (3Y/5Y/all years), not per share, so a merger can show up as a growth jump; per-share earnings growth is in the value-creation card.93/100
Revenue growth appears healthy and is supported by profitability and cash-flow quality.
Revenue growth 1 year
+5.3%
Revenue growth 3 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+20.7%
Revenue growth 5 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+13.0%
Start year 2020 (pandemic). Over 10 years: +15.2% a year
Revenue growth 26 years ⓘMeasures the company's TOTAL revenue from reported annual statements: compound average growth per year (CAGR) from the fiscal year 3, 5 or N years back to the most recent comparable fiscal year. Not per share: buybacks do not change this number, and a merger can appear as a growth jump. Per-share growth (which does include buybacks) is in the value-creation card.
+35.7%
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What shareholders gained per year (last 5 years) (mathematically smoothed) ⓘWhat the business itself delivers per year: earnings growth per share plus the dividend yield. This is what you get IF the market keeps valuing the stock the same way: it contains no assumption about the market changing its mind. Computed per share, so buybacks count and a merger does not pass as growth. For a company that pays no dividend it is pure earnings growth per share. Period: earnings growth per share as CAGR over the last 5 reported fiscal years (annual statements), plus the current dividend yield. The start value is the median of the three years around the start, so a single crisis year (a pandemic or a write-down) does not distort the rate. Smoothed = median of all growth paths between the years of the window (trend line on the logarithm of earnings per share): a single extreme year cannot distort the rate. The reported figure stays in the tooltip.
−4.9%
Earnings growth per share plus dividend.
Earnings per share, growth per year−4.9%
Dividend (yield on the price)0.0%
Pace: 5 vs 10 years ⓘTwo data points, not a trend model: earnings growth per share over the last 5 fiscal years against the last 10. Labelled "steady" when both rates are within 3 percentage points of each other, otherwise picking up or flattening. Shown only when ten years of history exist.1% vs 9%, slowing
Profit margin 2020 to 2025 ⓘOperating margin then vs now, from reported annual statements. A falling margin after a boom year is the classic peak-earnings signal: the growth rate then leans on an inflated base.20% → 18%
2025 sits 96% above its own trend. The rate follows the median trend of the last 5 years, not that single year.
Start year 2020 (pandemic)
Growth Forecast
A lot of optimism in the price
The price assumes more growth than the company has delivered so far.
What the price assumes ⓘThis turns our valuation around: instead of asking what the share is worth, it asks what growth the current price requires. It uses the cash the company keeps after all spending (free cash flow), the same discount rate as our models, five years of growth, then slowing evenly to 2 % a year by year ten. Compared with the analysts' sales forecasts extended to the same five years (at least three analysts, for context only, it does not enter the Fair Value): within 3 percentage points counts as "in line" (amber), below that little optimism (green), above that a lot of optimism (red).
+16.1%
Yearly growth needed for the next five years to justify today's price.
What forecasts expect
n/a
No analyst forecast available.
After inflation (USA: IMF forecast 2.4% a year to 2030, 3.1% from 2016 to 2025) that is about +13.4% a year for the price.
Compare Southern First Bancshares Inc with another stock
Price, fair value, quality and upside side by side.
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Peer GroupⓘHow this stock ranks against its industry: the green marker is this stock, the band is the typical 25–75% peer range, and the tick is the median.Banks - Regional · 1074 stocks
Beats the industry median on 3/14 measures
Overall it trails its industry peers.
Valuation
Quality Score46 · Bottom 25%
Fair Value upside−53% · Bottom 25%
Profitability
Return on equity (TTM)10% · Below median
Return on assets1% · Below median
Net margin (TTM)31% · Above median
Operating margin (TTM)44% · Above median
Growth and dividend
Revenue growth25% · Top 25%
Balance sheet
Debt / equity0.72× · Above median
Valuation Multiplesvs Banks - Regional median · lower = cheaper
P/E (TTM)12.9× · Pricier than median
P/B1.51× · Priciest 25%
P/S (TTM)4.33× · Pricier than median
P/FCF18.7× · Priciest 25%
EV/EBITDA16.6× · Priciest 25%
PEG2.31× · Priciest 25%
Strength profile in five axes (Snowflake)
This stockSector peers
VALUE (fair-value potential)0· sector 11
FUTURE (revenue growth)100· sector 45
PAST (return on equity)40· sector 41
HEALTH (low debt)64· sector 85
DIVIDEND (yield)0· sector 53
VALUE 0: the price sits above our fair-value range.
For bloggers, editors and developers: paste this into your site or blog (a “Custom HTML” block in WordPress), it shows the current fair value and links back here. Free, plain HTML, and welcome. Full data streams (CSV/JSON) at /developers.
Cite: Fair Value Calculator (2026). "Southern First Bancshares Inc Fair Value". https://www.fairvalue-calculator.com/stock/SFST
Frequently asked questions
Is Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) overvalued or undervalued?
As of Sep 23, 2026, our model estimates a fair value of $28.21 versus a price of $59.85, about −53% upside (overvalued).
What is the fair value of SFST?
Our model-based fair value for Southern First Bancshares Inc is $28.21 (as of Sep 23, 2026), built from audited fundamentals. The current price: $59.85.
What is the quality score of SFST?
Southern First Bancshares Inc has a Quality Score of 47/100. It measures business quality (profitability, growth, cash flow, balance-sheet strength, investment discipline, share issuance). Market factors such as price momentum and volatility do not enter the number; they are shown separately in the detail view.
What is the price target for Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Our model-based price target is the fair value of $28.21 (as of Sep 23, 2026) from 4 valuation models. Cautious scenario $26.62, optimistic scenario $33.08. It is a calculation from audited fundamentals, not an analyst target.
What is the Southern First Bancshares Inc stock forecast for 2026?
Our models put fair value at $28.21, about −53% upside versus a price of $59.85 (overvalued). Cautious scenario $26.62, optimistic scenario $33.08. The calculation is refreshed regularly with new filings.
What is the revenue of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Southern First Bancshares Inc reported trailing-twelve-month revenue of about $129M (latest available figure, as of Sep 23, 2026).
What growth is priced into Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
For today's price to be fair in a discounted-cash-flow model, Southern First Bancshares Inc would have to grow free cash flow by +16.1 % per year for five years (discount rate 10.3 %, then slowing evenly to 2 % perpetual growth by year ten). Over the last 5 years revenue grew +13.0 % per year. As of Sep 23, 2026.
What discount rate (WACC) does the fair value of SFST use?
Our models discount Southern First Bancshares Inc at 10.3 %: a base by market capitalisation (small), damped by beta 0.67, country premium for USA. The same rate applies in all 26 models.
What is a reverse DCF?
A reverse DCF turns the usual calculation around. Instead of deriving a value from assumptions, it takes today's price as given and asks: what free-cash-flow growth would a company have to deliver for exactly this price to be fair? The result is not a forecast but the expectation already priced in. For Southern First Bancshares Inc that is +16.1 % per year a year over ten years, using the same discount rate (10.3 %) and the same formula as our fair value.
How much growth has Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) delivered so far?
Over the past 5 years revenue at Southern First Bancshares Inc grew +13.0 % a year. The price currently implies +16.1 % per year free-cash-flow growth a year. Comparing the two shows how much confidence is in the price: if it demands more than has been delivered, the business has to accelerate for the maths to work.
How fast is the sector of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) growing?
The median revenue growth in the sector is +8.4 % a year. That is the yardstick for the growth priced into Southern First Bancshares Inc (+16.1 % per year a year): it shows whether the expectation is within the usual range or beyond it.
What is the free cash flow yield of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The free-cash-flow yield on the price is 5.36 %: that much free cash flow Southern First Bancshares Inc produces per unit of market value. When it exceeds the discount rate of our models (10.3 %), the business already earns more than its cost of capital demands, and the price needs little additional growth.
What is the intrinsic value of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Intrinsic value and fair value mean the same thing: what the business is worth on its numbers, independent of the share price. For Southern First Bancshares Inc it is $28.21 per share (as of Sep 23, 2026), against a price of $59.85. It is the blended result of 4 valuation models (cash flow, earnings, asset, dividend).
Is Southern First Bancshares Inc stock overvalued or undervalued in 2026?
As of Sep 23, 2026, SFST trades above its calculated fair value: price $59.85, fair value $28.21, a gap of about −53% (overvalued). The calculation is refreshed with each new quarterly report, so the verdict can change during the year.
Is fair value the same as the market price of SFST?
No. The price is what the market pays today ($59.85); the fair value is what the company's own numbers justify ($28.21). For Southern First Bancshares Inc the two are $31.64 per share apart. That gap is exactly why we show both numbers side by side.
How much is Southern First Bancshares Inc worth?
The market values Southern First Bancshares Inc at about $558M (market capitalisation, as of Sep 23, 2026). Per share that is $59.85; our models calculate a fair value of $28.21 per share.
What do the bullish and bearish scenarios say about SFST?
Our models span a range for Southern First Bancshares Inc: cautious scenario $26.62, base $28.21, optimistic $33.08 per share (as of Sep 23, 2026, price $59.85). The range comes from different growth and margin assumptions, not from analyst opinions.
What is the P/E ratio of SFST?
Southern First Bancshares Inc trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.9 (as of Sep 23, 2026). A P/E on its own says little: it compares the price with ONE year of profit, while our fair value of $28.21 is built from several models across several years. Other multiples: PEG 2.3, P/B 1.5, P/S 4.3, EV/EBITDA 16.6.
What is the PEG ratio of SFST?
The PEG ratio of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 2.31 (P/E divided by earnings growth, as of Sep 23, 2026). That is above 1, so the growth is already paid for in the price.
How solid is the balance sheet of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Balance-sheet figures for Southern First Bancshares Inc (as of Sep 23, 2026): return on equity 9.9%, debt of 0.72 per unit of equity. They feed the Quality Score of 47/100, which measures business quality independently of the share price.
How far is SFST from its 52-week high?
Southern First Bancshares Inc trades at $59.85, about 7% below its 52-week high of $64.60 and 45% above the low of $41.15 (as of Sep 23, 2026). Distance from the high says nothing about value: that is what the fair value of $28.21 is for.
Which stocks are comparable to Southern First Bancshares Inc?
From the same area (Financial Services) we also value DBS Group, China Merchants Bank Co, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A, HDFC Bank Limited, among others. Each of them has its own fair-value calculation on this site using the same models, so the comparison is like for like.
Is Southern First Bancshares Inc stock attractive at the current price?
The data as of Sep 23, 2026: price $59.85, calculated fair value $28.21 (−53%), Quality Score 47/100, from 4 models. Whether that fits your horizon and risk tolerance is your call. We provide the calculation, not investment advice.
How is the fair value of SFST calculated?
We run Southern First Bancshares Inc through 4 models from four families: discounted cash flow, earnings models, asset and balance-sheet models, and dividend models. Every model gets the same audited fundamentals; the result is the weighted average of $28.21, with the spread shown as a cautious and an optimistic scenario.
Is it still worth investing in stocks now?
The global stock market currently sits 14.1 % above its aggregate fair value. Southern First Bancshares Inc itself currently trades above fair value. An expensive market is no reason to stay out and no reason to buy everything at once: keep a broad savings plan running, buy single stocks only with money you can do without, and hold part of your money liquid while the market is high. The full picture including sectors is on is it worth investing now.
What is the share price of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The closing price on Sep 23, 2026 was $59.85. Our model-based fair value is $28.21, about −53% upside (overvalued). We carry closing prices from our data provider, not a live tick.
What should I pay attention to with Southern First Bancshares Inc right now?
The price sits above even our optimistic bull case ($33.08). The favourable scenario is already priced in. Solid but not exceptional quality (47/100) and above fair value, neither a clear bargain nor a standout compounder. For a financial, book-value and earnings-based methods matter more than a cash-flow DCF, which fits banks and insurers poorly.
Where does the earnings growth of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) come from?
Earnings per share at Southern First Bancshares Inc grew +4.7 % a year from 2014 to 2025. Broken into its drivers: revenue per share +12.7 %, EBIT margin −8.8 %, tax rate +1.9 %, residual (interest, one-offs) +0.0 %. The four rates multiply to the earnings growth rate, they do not add up. Start and end are three-year averages so a single exceptional year does not distort the result.
Key figures of Southern First Bancshares Inc
How large is the market capitalisation of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The market capitalisation of Southern First Bancshares Inc is $558M. The stock-market value of the whole company: share price times number of shares. It is what the market asks for the entire business today.
What is the P/S ratio of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The price-to-sales ratio of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 1.74 (P/E × margin). Price to sales: market value relative to yearly revenue. Useful when profit is thin or distorted.
What are the earnings per share of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Earnings per share at Southern First Bancshares Inc are $4.65 (price ÷ EPS = P/E 12.9). Earnings per share over the last twelve months: total profit spread across every single share.
What is the net margin of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The net margin of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 13.5% (fiscal year 2025). How much of every unit of revenue ends up as profit. 10% means 10 cents of profit per dollar of sales.
What is the return on equity of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The return on equity (ROE) of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 9.9% (last twelve months). Profit relative to shareholders' equity, how efficiently the company works with its owners' money.
What is the EBIT return on assets of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
On an EBIT basis the return on assets of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 1.0% (avg 5y). Operating profit (EBIT) relative to everything the company owns, as a multi-year average. It describes the business model rather than one good or bad year.
What is the operating margin of Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
The operating margin of Southern First Bancshares Inc is 44.0% (last twelve months). Profit from the core business (before interest and taxes) relative to revenue.
How fast is revenue growing at Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Revenue at Southern First Bancshares Inc is growing +24.8% versus a year earlier (3y avg +20.7%). How much revenue grew versus a year earlier (YoY). The 3-year average next to it puts the single year in context.
How fast are earnings growing at Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST)?
Earnings per share at Southern First Bancshares Inc are growing +48.1% versus a year earlier. How much earnings per share grew versus a year earlier.
How much net debt does Southern First Bancshares Inc (SFST) carry?
The net debt of Southern First Bancshares Inc is $179M (fiscal year 2025, ≈ 6.0 yrs of FCF). Debt minus cash on hand. The note shows how many years of free cash flow could in theory pay it off.
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Some data
Sep 23, 2026