Quantbot Technologies LP Takes Position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,600 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $846,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in First Bancshares by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank’s stock worth $42,197,000 after buying an additional 59,471 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in First Bancshares by 16.3% in the 2nd 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. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,548,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,054,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS opened at $37.30 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $34.29 and its 200-day moving average is $30.76. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on FBMS shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Friday, November 29th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares 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.