StockNews.com Begins Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.75.

First Bancshares Price Performance

FBMS stock traded up $0.80 during trading on Friday, hitting $38.49. 116,450 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 142,575. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.78 and a beta of 0.94. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.06.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.98%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of First Bancshares by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $203,000. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.