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

Stock analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report released on Sunday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

FBMS has been the topic of several other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on 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 lowered 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 assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $36.17 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.36. 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 market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $39.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth $56,256,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in First Bancshares by 1,454.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after buying an additional 579,851 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,249,000. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,487,000 after acquiring an additional 91,314 shares in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is 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.