First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on FBMS. 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 upped their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $35.65 on Thursday. 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 $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 0.94. 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 $35.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.17.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in First Bancshares by 50.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth $236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

About First Bancshares

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.