The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.17.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC raised its position in First Bancshares by 73.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the second quarter worth $89,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $236,000. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Bancshares Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $35.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.62. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.94.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid 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 2.80%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.25%.

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.