Stock fact sheet · data as of
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol SFST · Financial Services · Banks - Regional · United States · Value
Is SFST undervalued?
At 61.45 (close of 5 Nov 2026), SFST trades 28% under the GLS average fair value of 85.58. 5 of the 8 models that produced a value land above the price. A discount of this size counts as a positive margin of safety in every GLS scan; whether it is enough depends on the rest of the picture - the health score, the moat and the option premium below.
The 8 models disagree widely: GLS Growth gives 25.32 while Graham Growth gives 197.55. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, SFST is clearly cheaper than it is fast-growing, so the nightly engine files it under Value (value score 59, growth score 38, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for SFST
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 32.67 | -47% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 71.07 | +16% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 197.55 | +221% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 81.56 | +33% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 25.32 | -59% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 124.11 | +102% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 101.50 | +65% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | 50.88 | -17% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -416.05 | -777% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 64.00 | +4% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
On financial health SFST scores 7/9 (Piotroski): most of the nine tests - positive earnings and cash flow, falling debt, rising margins and turnover - are passed, which is the kind of balance sheet a wheel trader is happy to be assigned. The GLS Moat score is 5.7 out of 10: a record that is solid on some of the four parts the score weighs (returns on capital, pricing power, lasting growth, balance sheet) and weaker on others.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 4.8%, ROE 8.2%, ROA 0.7% - with debt at 0.72 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 7.8%.
Southern First Bancshares, Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain.
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 2/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 4.8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.7 / 10 | ROE | 8.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.72 | ROA | 0.7% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 7.8% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 2 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 50: Fair
SFST scores 50 out of 100 on the Wheel Score (Fair band, 50-69) because it fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (26 open interest, 10 a day); and filter 8, big enough - market cap $583M (under $1.0B). A stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to reach 70. Otherwise the parts read: value strong, premium strong, moat fair, health good, red flags strong, option trading weak, stability fair.
Implied volatility is 34% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out: enough to pass the 25-80% Wheel Trade Filter, but under the 35-60% sweet spot the score rewards most. Chain open interest is thin - 26 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 126k shares a day on a market cap of $583M, with a beta of 0.74 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (26 open interest, 10 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Fails | market cap $583M (under $1.0B) |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 28% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 34% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.7/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 100/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 10 contracts a day, 26 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.74, $583M company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Regional
The 12 companies below are the closest to Southern First Bancshares, Inc. by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWFG Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. | 73.27 | 98.51 | +26% | 33No options | $584M |
| BWB Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. | 20.74 | 32.53 | +36% | 51Fair | $581M |
| BWBBP Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. | 19.08 | 31.31 | +39% | 35No options | $573M |
| UNTY Unity Bancorp, Inc. | 59.35 | 71.09 | +17% | 44Weak | $596M |
| CIVB Civista Bancshares, Inc. | 28.81 | 31.63 | +9% | 42Weak | $597M |
| BSVN Bank7 Corp. | 59.63 | 88.88 | +33% | 35No options | $568M |
| CWBC Community West Bancshares | 26.74 | 33.08 | +19% | 41Weak | $563M |
| COFS ChoiceOne Financial Services, Inc. | 37.61 | 48.36 | +22% | 29No options | $562M |
| KRNY Kearny Financial Corp. | 9.32 | 19.06 | +51% | 45Weak | $605M |
| NPB Northpointe Bancshares, Inc. | 16.14 | 22.11 | +27% | 29No options | $558M |
| SUPV Grupo Supervielle S.A. | 5.89 | 3.67 | -61% | 13Weak | $557M |
| BSRR Sierra Bancorp | 42.85 | 69.67 | +38% | 56Fair | $556M |
⚖ Compare SFST with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about SFST
Is SFST undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, moderately: at 61.45 the stock trades 28% below the average fair value of 85.58 (data as of 5 Nov 2026).
What is the Wheel Score of SFST and what does it mean?
SFST scores 50 out of 100 (Fair) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 8. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for SFST?
85.58 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Southern First Bancshares, Inc. report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 28 Jan 2027, 84 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does SFST have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 54 listed contracts with 26 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 34% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.