Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) — RQD Stock Rating Cockpit

$60.87 -0.18% NASDAQ • Live Quote vs Prior Daily Close (Synced Snapshot) EXT / AFTER-HRS: $60.73

Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) carries a Roarable Rating of C- (Hold) with 61/100 RQD Confidence. The composite score sits in the neutral Hold band (59–69), meaning current holders don’t need to panic-sell while prospective buyers can wait for a move into the 70+ Buy zone.

ROARABLE C- • HOLD / WATCH Cap $576.5M
📤 Share Live RQD Speedometer Card: 𝕏 Post Reddit StockTwits ⬇ Live SVG Card
⚡ INSTANT AI QUANT PREVIEW • $0 FREE TIER Click Any Pre-Computed AI Quant Specialist Briefing on SFST Below — or Connect Your Own ChatGPT / Claude
🤖 Mara Quenwick • AI Quant Lead (Click for Instant Brief) Is SFST stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?
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As of 2026-11-02, Southern First Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST) is rated C- (Hold / HOLD) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 61/100 at a spot price of $60.87 (-0.18% 1D, market cap $576.5M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 11/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 10/20, Executive Insider Alignment 13/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 13/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 14/20. Across 1096 tracked Financials issuers, SFST ranks #416 in composite RQD confidence.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 Ellis Vennor • AI Peer & Flow Quant (Click for Instant Brief) How does SFST compare to UNTY and BWB in the Financials sector?
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Within the Financials sector (Major Banks), SFST carries a Roarable C- (61/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 19.0x, gross margin of —, and ROIC of 8.2%. By comparison, UNTY (Unity Bancorp Inc.) holds a C grade (65/100 RQD, P/E 10.1x, ROIC 16.8%, cap $583.5M) and BWB (Bridgewater Bancshares Inc.) posts a D+ grade (55/100 RQD, P/E 12.3x, ROIC 8.9%, cap $567.2M). Among the 5-stock peer group, UNTY leads on earnings multiple (10.1x) while BSVN leads on capital efficiency (17.2% ROIC).

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 Gideon Ashmere • AI SEC 10-K Forensics (Click for Instant Brief) What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for SFST?
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Per SFST's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001090009), Southern First Bancshares Inc. generated $0 in revenue, $30.4M in net income, and $29.9M in free cash flow against $4.40B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Company leadership has skin in the game with net positive insider conviction.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 AI Quant Disclosure: Roarable Analysts are proprietary AI Quant Specialists — not human financial advisors. Pre-computed one-to-many briefings above are free; interactive 1-on-1 Q&A, custom AI sifting/indicator alerts, and personal ChatGPT/Claude MCP connections require a $9.95/mo Pro account (currently waitlist-only).
INTERACTIVE SCENARIO DECK:
🛡️ Portfolio Crash X-Ray
EXT / AFTER-HRS: $60.74 (-0.22%)🧬 Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares)⚙️ Cash Engine: 11/20 (D+) • 0.7% FCF Margin
Verify 90D Bucket Audit →
📊 Historical Track Record: Scores of 61/100 (C-) historically posted market-perform odds over rolling 90-day windows (+0.5% avg 90D alpha vs SPY • 53.9% hit rate — wait for RQD ≥ 70 breakout).
Audit Bucket Track Record →
RQD QUANT TACHOMETERHOLD / WATCH • C-
025507510061
JEV AI Jury Split (Battleground)
Cash
SEC
Whale

Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer

5-PILLAR SNOWFLAKE RADARRw D+ · Rk C
Cash (11)Whales (10)SEC (13)Macro (13)CEO (14)
Each axis scored 0–20
12M PRICE TARGET CONE+1.3% Base Target
$73 Bull$62 Base$48 Bear
📬 FREE SFST RATING-CHANGE & BRIEFING ALERTSManage / Unsubscribe
WHALE OPTIONS SNAPSHOT: — (No Active Options Snapshot on file for SFST)Realized 20D OHLCV Swing Band: ±4.7%
Deterministic 5-Pillar Attribution (61/100 Composite)
🔍 WHY SFST SCORES 61/100 (C-) — TOP 3 DRIVERS2 Bullish Pillars + #1 Risk Drag
▲ #1 Bullish Driver: Insider Conviction & Share Dilution+14/20 pts (23% of score)

SEC Form 4 / 13F Thermometer: 70% Net Buy • Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares)

▲ #2 Bullish Driver: SEC 10-K Forensic Risk+13/20 pts (21% of score)

Altman Z-Score 3.80 (FORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)) • Piotroski F-Score 5/9

▼ #1 Drag / Risk Factor: Whale & Options Positioning10/20 pts (-10 pt drag)

Put hedging (50% put share) caps near-term gamma upside (-10 pts vs max)

📈 PAST 4 QUARTERS RQD vs SUBSEQUENT RETURNQ1 → Q2 → Q3 → Current
Q1 (-3Q)
53
Grade C-$60.19-1.8% Next Q
Q2 (-2Q)
56
Grade C$59.13+3.5% Next Q
Q3 (-1Q)
58
Grade C$61.19-0.5% Next Q
Current
61
Grade C-$60.87+0.5% Hist 90D α
Trajectory: C- (53) → C- (61)Full Audit →
⚔️ ADVERSARIAL OPPOSING CASE & FORENSIC KILL-SWITCH (WHY THE BULL/BEAR THESIS COULD FAIL)GIDEON ASHMERE // FORENSIC SHORT & KILL-SWITCH DOSSIER

⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the SFST Bull Thesis Could Fail

Gideon Ashmere Forensic Desk →

Even with a 61/100 (C-) score, SFST faces multiple-compression risk if 19.0x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #1

Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #2

Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-1.80% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 49.5% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #3

Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($61.10) or 200D SMA ($58.88) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($61.69) toward Bear Floor ($48.12).

🎲 LIVE PREDICTION MARKET ODDS TIED TO $SFST• $2.4M Crowd Pool • Kalshi / Polymarket Composite
Contract: “SFST Beats Next Quarter EPS Consensus (Dec 30, 2026) & Holds Above 200D SMA”
RSI-14 MOMENTUMNEUTRAL RANGE
51.430 Oversold · 70 Hot
ALTMAN-Z SHIELDFORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)
3.80>3.0 Fortress Safe
PIOTROSKI F-SCORESOLID CORE (5–6)
5 / 99-Pt Accounting
52-WEEK LASER RANGE83% OF RANGE
L: $41$60.87H: $65
1. Money & Cash Health● MIXED
Are profits real cash in the bank?

Decent core business (steady margins), though cash flow growth is moderate rather than explosive right now.

Factor Grade: D+RQD 11 / 20
2. Big Money & Insiders● NEUTRAL
Are whales & executives buying or selling?

Big funds and company insiders are mostly holding steady without aggressive buying or panic selling.

Factor Grade: C-RQD 24 / 40
3. Hidden Risks & Market Weather● WATCH
SEC fine-print scan & interest-rate fit

No major SEC filing blowups, though current interest rates and Fed liquidity call for normal position sizing.

Factor Grade: CRQD 26 / 40
MULTI-MODEL JEV QUANT JURY DELIBERATION

JEV AI Jury Split (Battleground) on SFST

Cash & Moat Bull AI
ROIC & Free Cash Flow Model
NEUTRAL (55)

8.2% ROIC with 42.0% gross margin and 5.18% FCF yield.

SEC Forensic Auditor AI
10-K Accruals & Altman-Z Guard
NEUTRAL (65)

Altman-Z 4.20 and Piotroski 5/9 pass balance-sheet audit.

Whale & Macro Hawk AI
Options Skew, 13F & Fed NetLiq
NEUTRAL (62)

24/40 institutional & smart-money positioning score with 13/20 macro alignment.

Bull Case: Why Buyers Like SFST
  • ✓Company leadership has skin in the game with net positive insider conviction.
Bear Case: What Could Go Wrong
  • !Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.
ON-DEMAND RQD QUANT WORKSHOP • SPONSORED / PARTNER SPOTLIGHTHosted by Perry Belcher & Roarable Quantitative Research Desk

Scheduled RQD Strong Buys & Whale Accumulation Briefing (SFST Tape Review)

  • ✓Breakdown of the highest-scoring RQD Green-Light breakouts across our 5,200+ rated universe
  • ✓Forensic Red-Light accounting & dilution traps to review on your watchlist
  • ✓Includes downloadable .ics calendar invite & nightly RQD rating-change email alerts
RQD INSIDER CLUB WAITLIST$49/YR PLANNED
Want Custom AI PineScript / Python Indicators & Priority Rating-Change Alerts?
SFST // CANDLESTICK & AUTO-TRENDLINE WORKSTATION6M: +8.85%📐 HORIZONTAL RANGE
2026-11-02O $60.98H $60.98L $60.87C $60.87VOL 125.4K
RES: $62.25SUP: $58.28SMA50: $61.10SMA200: $58.88
$66.14$61.78$57.41$53.05$48.69RES $62.25SUP $58.28$60.872026-05-042026-06-172026-08-042026-09-172026-11-02
PRIMARY-SOURCE FORENSICS, SECOND-ORDER LINKS & AI ANALYST DESK

SFST Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure

Share Count & Dilution Monitor (#25)

Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).

Reverse-DCF Expectations Hurdle (#30)
12.4%/yr Implied 5Y Growth

vs. +6.0% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).

Ellis Vennor Setup Ledger (#33)

No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on SFST today. View full Setup Ledger →

🦋 Documented & Second-Order Butterfly Connections Open Graph →

No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for SFST. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.

AI Analyst Theses, Washington Policy & Company Video
🎬 No recent verified company-specific video clip queued for SFST today (we never pad ticker pages with unrelated generic clips). Browse Macro Video Desk →
DETERMINISTIC MULTI-FACTOR EQUITY AUDIT • SEC EDGAR XBRL × RQD PEER BENCHMARK

📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (SFST)

Financials Rank #416 of 1096 ⚔️ UNTY vs SFST Full Matrix →

1. Head-to-Head Financials Peer Comparison (SFST vs. UNTY, BWB, BSVN, CIVB)

Industry: Major Banks (248 Tracked Issuers)

Across 1096 tracked Financials securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) ranks #416 by composite RQD confidence (61/100, grade C-) and #672 by equity capitalization ($576.5M). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, UNTY leads on earnings valuation at 10.1x trailing P/E, while BSVN leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 17.2% ROIC and — gross margin. BSVN currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 71/100 (B-) compared with SFST at 61/100 (C-).

Ticker / Company Roarable Grade RQD Score Trailing P/E Gross Margin ROIC 1D Change Market Cap Head-to-Head
SFST ACTIVE
Southern First Bancshares Inc.
C- 61/100 19.0x — 8.2% -0.18% $576.5M Benchmark Subject
UNTY
Unity Bancorp Inc.
C 65/100 10.1x — 16.8% +0.64% $583.5M /unty-vs-sfst →
BWB
Bridgewater Bancshares Inc.
D+ 55/100 12.3x — 8.9% -0.24% $567.2M /bwb-vs-sfst →
BSVN
Bank7 Corp.
B- 71/100 13.1x — 17.2% +0.46% $564.9M /bsvn-vs-sfst →
CIVB
Civista Bancshares Inc.
C+ 67/100 12.8x — 8.5% +1.03% $592.0M /civb-vs-sfst →

2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)

SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-12-31 • CIK 0001090009

In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31), Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) reported GAAP revenue of $0 (N/A vs. FY2024 revenue of $0 ) , GAAP net income of $30.4M, operating cash flow of $30.5M, and free cash flow of $29.9M (+20.6% YoY). On the balance sheet, SFST closed FY2025 with $4.40B in total assets against $0 in total debt (Altman Z-Score: N/A, Piotroski F-Score: 5/9).

Fiscal Period Filing Date Revenue Net Income Operating Cash Flow Free Cash Flow Total Assets Total Debt
FY2025 (FY) 2025-12-31 $0 $30.4M $30.5M $29.9M $4.40B —
FY2024 (FY) 2024-12-31 $0 $15.5M $25.6M $24.8M $4.09B —
FY2023 (FY) 2023-12-31 $0 $13.4M $17.7M $17.7M — —

3. SFST Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)

✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLED

Is SFST stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?

As of 2026-11-02, Southern First Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST) is rated C- (Hold / HOLD) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 61/100 at a spot price of $60.87 (-0.18% 1D, market cap $576.5M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 11/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 10/20, Executive Insider Alignment 13/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 13/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 14/20. Across 1096 tracked Financials issuers, SFST ranks #416 in composite RQD confidence.

How does SFST compare to UNTY and BWB in the Financials sector?

Within the Financials sector (Major Banks), SFST carries a Roarable C- (61/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 19.0x, gross margin of —, and ROIC of 8.2%. By comparison, UNTY (Unity Bancorp Inc.) holds a C grade (65/100 RQD, P/E 10.1x, ROIC 16.8%, cap $583.5M) and BWB (Bridgewater Bancshares Inc.) posts a D+ grade (55/100 RQD, P/E 12.3x, ROIC 8.9%, cap $567.2M). Among the 5-stock peer group, UNTY leads on earnings multiple (10.1x) while BSVN leads on capital efficiency (17.2% ROIC).

What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for SFST?

Per SFST's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001090009), Southern First Bancshares Inc. generated $0 in revenue, $30.4M in net income, and $29.9M in free cash flow against $4.40B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Company leadership has skin in the game with net positive insider conviction.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

Where is SFST trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?

SFST last traded at $60.87 (-0.18% on volume of 125,414 shares), positioning the stock -0.38% below its 50-day simple moving average ($61.10) and +3.38% above its 200-day simple moving average ($58.88). Across its 52-week range of $40.91 to $65.09, SFST sits at the 82.5% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 51.4 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±4.7% ($58.01 to $63.73).

SFST Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index

100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FRED

Should I buy, hold, or sell SFST stock right now?

Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) currently earns a Roarable Rating of C- (Hold — HOLD) with 61/100 RQD Confidence. Solid steady margins (8% return on capital), mixed timing at 19x P/E—hold if owned, no rush to chase.

What is SFST's 12-month price target and RQD AI Jury consensus?

SFST's 12-month base price target is $61.69 (range $48.12 to $72.79), backed by transparent SEC XBRL cash-flow, Form 4 insider, and CBOE options flow analysis.

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