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

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

Several other research firms have also weighed in on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One research 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $35.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84 and a beta of 0.93. First Bancshares has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $35.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.32.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth about $89,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new position in First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company’s stock.

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.