First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note released on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Down 3.0 %

FBMS opened at $33.21 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03 and a beta of 0.93. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.08. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $35.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,503 shares of the bank’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the third 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 period. CWM LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 73.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.8% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,262 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP lifted its position in First Bancshares by 17.8% during the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 1,476 shares during the period. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.