Southern First (SFST) Tops Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Company Performance - Southern First (SFST) reported quarterly earnings of $0.65 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.61 per share, and showing a significant increase from $0.31 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of 6.56% [1] - The company posted revenues of $26.5 million for the quarter ended March 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.95%, compared to $21.31 million in the same quarter last year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Southern First has consistently surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times and topped consensus revenue estimates three times [2] Stock Outlook - Southern First shares have declined approximately 18.7% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has decreased by 12.3% [3] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.65 on revenues of $26.31 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $2.67 on revenues of $106.66 million [7] - The estimate revisions trend for Southern First is currently favorable, leading to a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) for the stock, indicating expected outperformance in the near future [6] Industry Context - The Banks - Southeast industry, to which Southern First belongs, is currently ranked in the top 33% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting a positive outlook for stocks within this sector [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can be tracked by investors [5]