First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research report released on Saturday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.75.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $37.80 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $35.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.13.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBMS. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at about $56,256,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in First Bancshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,206,000 after purchasing an additional 28,215 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 898,647 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $28,874,000 after purchasing an additional 37,167 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after buying an additional 579,851 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.