Stock Ratings / Financials / SFST / options

UNTY (65) BWB (55) BSVN (71) CIVB (67) ⌘ Pro Terminal →

Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) Options Positioning, Max Pain & Unusual Sweeps

$59.58 -2.12% NASDAQ • Live Quote vs Prior Daily Close (Synced Snapshot) EXT / AFTER-HRS: $59.24

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.

📊 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) →

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 $59.58 (-2.12% 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: $59.24 (-0.57%)🧬 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-

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

Each axis scored 0–20

12M PRICE TARGET CONE+1.3% Base Target

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)

Grade B-$60.19-1.8% Next Q

Q2 (-2Q)

Grade B-$59.13+3.5% Next Q

Q3 (-1Q)

Grade C+$61.19-2.6% Next Q

Current

Grade C-$59.58+0.5% Hist 90D α

Trajectory: B- (69) → 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 ($60.38) toward Bear Floor ($47.10).

🎲 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”

YES 61%NO 39%Trade / Inspect Odds →

CALL VS. PUT WHALE SHARE

— (No Active Options Snapshot)

Put/Call Ratio: — (No Active Options Snapshot)

MAX-PAIN EXPIRATION MAGNET

— (No Active Options Snapshot)

No active options chain max-pain snapshot on file

HISTORICAL 20D VOLATILITY SWING

±4.7%

Derived from 20D OHLCV bars (No Active Options Snapshot)

Active Strike Call vs. Put Concentration Ladder (SFST)

— (No Active Options Snapshot) — No unusual CBOE strike concentration anomalies recorded in the current database snapshot for SFST.

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ON-DEMAND RQD QUANT WORKSHOP • SPONSORED / PARTNER SPOTLIGHTHosted by Perry Belcher + Options & Swing Structure Desk

Whale Flow & Momentum Playbook: Evaluating SFST & AI Leaders Without Chasing Tops

✓Institutional whale strikes & implied earnings move audit on SFST
✓How disciplined traders manage risk using pre-published trigger & invalidation levels
✓Includes nightly RQD rating-change & forensic signal email alerts on tracked leaders

RQD INSIDER CLUB WAITLIST$49/YR PLANNED

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SFST // CANDLESTICK & AUTO-TRENDLINE WORKSTATION6M: +6.55%📐 HORIZONTAL RANGE

2026-11-02O $60.98H $60.98L $59.58C $59.58VOL 125.4K

RES: $62.25SUP: $58.28SMA50: $61.10SMA200: $58.88

PRIMARY-SOURCE FORENSICS, SECOND-ORDER LINKS & AI ANALYST DESK

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

🦋 SFST Butterfly Map → + Track SFST →

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%	-2.12%	$576.5M	Benchmark Subject
UNTY Unity Bancorp Inc.	C	65/100	10.1x	—	16.8%	-1.36%	$583.5M	/unty-vs-sfst →
BWB Bridgewater Bancshares Inc.	D+	55/100	12.3x	—	8.9%	-0.64%	$567.2M	/bwb-vs-sfst →
BSVN Bank7 Corp.	B-	71/100	13.1x	—	17.2%	-1.13%	$564.9M	/bsvn-vs-sfst →
CIVB Civista Bancshares Inc.	C+	67/100	12.8x	—	8.5%	-0.84%	$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?

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

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

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

SFST last traded at $59.58 (-2.12% on volume of 75,252 shares), positioning the stock -2.49% below its 50-day simple moving average ($61.10) and +1.19% above its 200-day simple moving average ($58.88). Across its 52-week range of $40.91 to $65.09, SFST sits at the 77.2% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 51.4 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±4.7% ($56.78 to $62.38).

SFST Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index

100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FRED

What is SFST's options positioning and volatility profile?

Roarable tracks verified CBOE unusual options sweeps, put/call ratios, and OHLCV realized volatility bands for SFST.

Direct Sub-Reports: SFST RQD Cockpit SFST 12M Forecast SFST Earnings & Move SFST Dividends & DRIP SFST Insiders & 13F SFST Whale Options SFST Profit Sankey SFST News & Why

Sector Peer Dials

Bridgewater Bancshares Inc.

Civista Bancshares Inc.

67 /100

NPB C-

Northpointe Bancshares Inc.

60 /100

BWFG C+

Bankwell Financial Group Inc.

66 /100

SFST Core Snapshot

Market Cap $576.5M

Trailing / Fwd P/E 19.0x / 17.7x

Gross Profit Margin —

Return on Capital (ROIC) 8.2%

Free Cash Flow Yield 5.18%

12M Base Price Target $60.38

FREE TRADER TOOLS

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Drop 3–5 tickers into our live Portfolio X-Ray to spot hidden accounting time-bombs and see your composite RQD dial.

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SFST Wire

Why It Moved →

Direct Company Event Yahoo • 12d ago

Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Stock Climbs On Q3 Earnings Strength

Direct Company Event Yahoo • 13d ago

Compared to Estimates, Southern First (SFST) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Direct Company Event Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First (SFST) Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates

Peer / Ecosystem Wire Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

Peer / Ecosystem Wire Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

ROARABLE RATING BRIEF • RQD 61/100 (C-) ✓ STAGE-C NUMBER FIREWALL VERIFIED

SFST — Southern First Bancshares Inc.: What the Facts Mean to a Prospective Investor

Engine: Haiku 5.5 Dossier Pipeline

As of: 2026-11-02T14:20Z

Roarable Rating Brief: What This Means to a Prospective Investor

Per the Roarable RQD 5-pillar rating engine, Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) carries a composite score of 61/100 (C- — Roarable Hold — Cautious Neutral) at a current price of $59.58 (-2.12%). Fundamental cash generation scores 11/20 (ROIC 8.2%, FCF yield 5.18%), institutional 13F whale accumulation scores 10/20, insider conviction scores 14/20, macro regime alignment scores 13/20 (Beta 1.00), and forensic balance-sheet protection scores 13/20 (Altman Z-Score N/A, Piotroski F-Score 5/9).

Investor Implication: At 19.0x trailing P/E and 17.7x forward P/E within Major Banks, upside depends on sustained operating margin expansion (—) and free cash flow conversion relative to the 52-week range of $40.91 – $65.09.

Butterfly Effect: Supply-Chain, Sector & Catalyst Ripples

Operating in Major Banks (Financials), SFST is sensitive to 2nd-order capital expenditure cycles, input cost spreads (gross margin —), and institutional positioning across its peer cohort. Prospective investors should monitor quarterly order backlog conversion, sector capex guidance, and Form 4 insider cluster activity (0 recent filings tracked).

Open Questions to Watch: (1) Margin trajectory vs. peer median; (2) FCF conversion sustainability over the next 4 quarters; (3) Institutional 13F rebalancing around upcoming earnings.

SFST Live News Feed, Press Releases & Catalyst Wire

Real-time company headlines, analyst actions, and sector developments for Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) • Click "Debate This Headline" to argue it in the Roar Pit below

💬 Jump to SFST Debate Forum (3) ↓

🔴 RISK WATCH Yahoo • 12d ago

Southern First Bancshares (SFST) Stock Climbs On Q3 Earnings Strength

Southern First Bancshares just dropped its Q3 2026 scorecard and the stock immediately told you how traders felt. Shares closed at US$60.93, up 3% on the day, as buyers leaned into what looked like another clean quarter

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Yahoo • 13d ago

Compared to Estimates, Southern First (SFST) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Although the revenue and EPS for Southern First (SFST) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended September 2026, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First (SFST) Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates

Southern First (SFST) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of +1.59% and -0.04%, respectively, for the quarter ended September 2026. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Read Full Source ↗

🟢 CATALYST Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST) (Southern First), today announced its financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2026. Strong loan growth and continued margin expansion drove year-over-year

Read Full Source ↗

🟡 MARKET WIRE Yahoo • 13d ago

Southern First: Q3 Earnings Snapshot

(AP) — Southern First Bancshares Inc. (SFST) on Tuesday reported net income of $12.

Read Full Source ↗

🟢 CATALYST Benzinga • 13d ago

Southern First Bancshares Q3 EPS $1.30 Beats $1.25 Estimate, Sales $37.530M Beat $34.100M Estimate

Southern First Bancshares (NASDAQ:SFST) reported quarterly earnings of $1.30 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.25 by 4 percent. This is a 21.5 percent increase over earnings of $1.07 per share

Read Full Source ↗

🔥 THE ROAR PIT • LIVE COMMUNITY DEBATE 3 Active Posts & Replies

SFST Bull vs. Bear Conversation Board — What's Your Call at $59.58?

🐂 50% BULLISH CONVICTION COMMUNITY TUG-OF-WAR ON SFST 🐻 50% BEARISH CONVICTION

RO RoarDesk_Moderator Roarable Research Desk ⚖️ DEBATE HOST 🎯 Target: $65.74 (+8.0%)

📌 Pinned Debate

🔥 Official Bull vs. Bear Debate: Is SFST (C- • RQD 61/100) a Buy at $60.87?

Welcome to the SFST (Southern First Bancshares Inc.) Roar Pit. Current RQD Composite is 61/100 (Roarable Hold — Cautious Neutral) in Major Banks. Bulls point to operating leverage and sector positioning, while bears focus on macro rate sensitivity and margin execution. Pick your side (🐂 Bull or 🐻 Bear) and drop your price target below.

RE RedlineAuditor Forensic Accounting Watch 🐻 BEARISH 🎯 Target: $51.13 (-16.0%)

Spot @ $60.87

Pump the brakes on SFST — check the valuation vs. margin headwinds

Everyone in here is repeating the bull case on SFST, but look at what you are paying: 19.0x trailing P/E with tightening sector spreads. Unless Southern First Bancshares Inc. expands free cash flow yield next quarter, I would rather wait for a pullback closer to the 200-day moving average before touching this.

QU QuantViper Verified K Arena Trader 🐂 BULLISH 🎯 Target: $69.39 (+14.0%)

Spot @ $60.87

SFST cash flow & RQD setup is being underpriced by the Street here

Looking at the 5-pillar RQD breakdown on SFST, the market is fixating on short-term headline noise in Major Banks and ignoring the balance sheet and cash flow trajectory. At $60.87 (52-wk range $40.91 - $65.09), any beat on forward guidance forces shorts and underweight funds to chase.