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

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

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Hovde Group lifted their target price on First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report 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. According to MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

FBMS opened at $36.37 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $33.15 and its 200 day moving average is $29.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 0.91. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $38.21.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the second quarter worth about $36,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,660 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $89,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the first quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.