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

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

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

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $37.65 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $33.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.18. First Bancshares has a twelve month low of $22.96 and a twelve month high of $38.21. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.91.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $36,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,660 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $89,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in First Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth $103,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in First Bancshares by 50.8% during 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.