First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Up 1.1 %

FBMS stock opened at $34.96 on Monday. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $35.61 and its 200 day moving average is $31.94. The firm has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $846,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 16.3% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 119,512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,105,000 after buying an additional 16,723 shares in the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $1,054,000. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter worth about $4,548,000. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $1,666,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.