StockNews.com Begins Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report issued on Friday. The firm set a “sell” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also commented on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott cut shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $36.05 on Friday. 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 has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $35.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31 and a beta of 0.94.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,487,000 after purchasing an additional 91,314 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 4.6% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,503 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 16.3% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 119,512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,105,000 after acquiring an additional 16,723 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 53.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 68,344 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,776,000 after acquiring an additional 23,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its position in First Bancshares by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 25,986 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $675,000 after purchasing an additional 8,145 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.