StockNews.com Begins Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Analysts at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report issued on Sunday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on FBMS. Hovde Group boosted their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $33.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $32.33 and its 200-day moving average is $28.26. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $34.40.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $104.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.40 million. First Bancshares had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 8.82%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that First Bancshares will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 54.3% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,133 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $615,000 after buying an additional 6,731 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 310.0% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 91,591 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,380,000 after buying an additional 69,254 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 45.7% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 25,986 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 8,145 shares during the period. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $4,548,000. 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.