Olympiad Research LP Buys Shares of 31,027 The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Olympiad Research LP bought a new stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 31,027 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $997,000. First Bancshares accounts for about 0.6% of Olympiad Research LP's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Olympiad Research LP owned 0.10% of First Bancshares as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank's stock valued at $42,197,000 after buying an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in First Bancshares by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,487,000 after purchasing an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in First Bancshares by 65.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 231,635 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,018,000 after purchasing an additional 91,269 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in First Bancshares by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 190,928 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,960,000 after acquiring an additional 16,777 shares during the period. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,548,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FBMS. StockNews.com began coverage on First Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "sell" rating for the company. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Hovde Group increased their price target on First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $35.50.

First Bancshares Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of FBMS traded down $1.45 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $36.44. The stock had a trading volume of 174,824 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,619. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.14. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $38.12.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. First Bancshares's payout ratio is 45.25%.

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.