Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 12,567 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) by 1.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 675,448 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,567 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in First Bancshares were worth $21,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FBMS. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $89,000. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FBMS stock opened at $34.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $35.67 and a 200-day moving average of $32.04. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on FBMS. StockNews.com began coverage on First Bancshares in a report on Monday, December 23rd. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.