The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Receives $37.17 Consensus PT from Analysts

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com began coverage on First Bancshares in a research report on Sunday, December 15th. They set a “sell” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $33.93 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35 and a beta of 0.93.

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 dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $846,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $21,706,000 after purchasing an additional 12,567 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in First Bancshares by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 28,184 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $421,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

About First Bancshares

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.