The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Acquired by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,030,933 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 27,548 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 3.30% of First Bancshares worth $36,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $846,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 5.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank's stock valued at $15,262,000 after purchasing an additional 26,349 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 3.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,206,000 after purchasing an additional 28,215 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 48.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,787,000 after purchasing an additional 28,184 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 967,043 shares of the bank's stock valued at $33,847,000 after purchasing an additional 68,396 shares during the period. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $33.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,277,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,868. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.21. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $35.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.09. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.98%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Sunday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company.

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.