The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Receives $37.17 Average Target Price from Analysts

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

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,262,000 after acquiring an additional 26,349 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $846,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth about $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 12,567 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,787,000 after buying an additional 28,184 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

FBMS stock opened at $34.24 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.71. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49 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 has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is 45.25%.

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.