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

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

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS opened at $35.07 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $36.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.92. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.21.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 864.4% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,102 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.