First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in a research note released on Wednesday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. 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 lifted their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of FBMS stock traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, hitting $34.24. 96,769 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 116,694. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.93. 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 50 day simple moving average of $35.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.69. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in First Bancshares by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 475,014 shares of the bank's stock worth $15,262,000 after purchasing an additional 26,349 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter worth approximately $846,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,706,000 after acquiring an additional 12,567 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in First Bancshares by 48.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,787,000 after acquiring an additional 28,184 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.