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

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Monday. The brokerage set a "sell" rating on the bank's stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Hovde Group raised their price target on First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Stock Up 3.9 %

First Bancshares stock traded up $1.28 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $34.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 98,685 shares, compared to its average volume of 195,174. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.09 and a beta of 0.92. First Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $34.40.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBMS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in First Bancshares by 72.7% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 62,984 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,634,000 after buying an additional 26,514 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the first quarter worth $463,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in First Bancshares during the first quarter worth $895,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 3.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank's stock valued at $42,197,000 after purchasing an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted 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 in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.