Brokerages Set The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Price Target at $37.17

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

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

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $33.93 on Friday. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $846,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank’s stock worth $21,706,000 after acquiring an additional 12,567 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 48.1% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $421,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.