First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report released on Monday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

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

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $34.57 on Monday. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.08. The company has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.93. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.78.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued 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 2.89%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $846,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 1.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank’s stock worth $21,706,000 after purchasing an additional 12,567 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 48.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 28,184 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $421,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.