First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note published on Thursday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Hovde Group lifted their price target on First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $37.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $33.64 and a 200-day moving average of $30.14. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $38.21. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.91.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of First Bancshares by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,503 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in First Bancshares by 73.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in First Bancshares by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,262 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,877,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of First Bancshares by 17.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,797 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Bancshares Company Profile

The First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for The First Bank that provides general commercial and retail banking services. The company operates through three segments: Commercial/Retail Bank, Mortgage Banking Division, and Holding Company. It offers deposit services, including checking, NOW, and savings accounts; other time deposits, such as daily money market accounts and longer-term certificates of deposit; and individual retirement and health savings accounts.