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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in a report issued on Tuesday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Price Performance

First Bancshares stock traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $33.37. 61,344 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 192,614. The company's fifty day moving average is $32.61 and its 200-day moving average is $29.01. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $34.93. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares's payout ratio is 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 72.7% in the first 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 period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the first quarter valued at about $463,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the first quarter worth $895,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in First Bancshares by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,626,074 shares of the bank's stock valued at $42,197,000 after buying an additional 59,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake 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 valued at $3,105,000 after purchasing an additional 16,723 shares during the period. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Bancshares Company Profile

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.