The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 411,255 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 33,906 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 1.32% of First Bancshares worth $14,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vestcor Inc acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,944 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,013,000 after buying an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,553 shares of the bank's stock valued at $719,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on FBMS shares. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Saturday, March 29th. They issued a "sell" rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.3 %

First Bancshares stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $33.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,277,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,120. 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 capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.92. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.21. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $35.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.05.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

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

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.