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

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

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Hovde Group raised their price target on shares of First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $37.65 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $38.21. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.91.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the second quarter worth $36,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the 2nd 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 period. FMR LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $89,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in First Bancshares in the first quarter worth approximately $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.