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

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

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective 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.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $33.81 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.02 and a 200 day moving average of $35.06. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $39.21. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.86 and a beta of 0.92. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter worth $56,256,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 436.7% in the 4th quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 376,549 shares of the bank’s stock worth $13,179,000 after acquiring an additional 306,390 shares in the last quarter. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P lifted its position in First Bancshares by 346.5% during the 4th quarter. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P now owns 360,555 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $12,619,000 after acquiring an additional 279,812 shares during the period. Westchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $8,249,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $6,296,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently 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.