Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases New Shares in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 29,700 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $954,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.10% of First Bancshares as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in FBMS. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth approximately $846,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the 1st quarter worth about $895,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank's stock worth $42,197,000 after buying an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of First Bancshares by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 119,512 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,105,000 after buying an additional 16,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,548,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company's stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $36.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 59,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,713. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $39.08. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 0.93. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $34.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.68.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. First Bancshares's payout ratio is 45.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on FBMS shares. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research note on Friday. They set a "sell" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.50.

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.