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

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note released on Wednesday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $34.56 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. First Bancshares has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.83.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vestcor Inc purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 864.4% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,102 shares of the bank’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.