First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in a report published on Monday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, First Bancshares has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $37.05. 99,093 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 139,978. The company has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 0.94. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.55. First Bancshares has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.21.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First Bancshares by 864.4% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the bank's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in First Bancshares by 73.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 1,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank's stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company's stock.

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.