First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Trading 4.1% Higher - Still a Buy?

The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) shot up 4.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $33.68 and last traded at $33.68. 33,662 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 195,546 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FBMS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded 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 target price on shares of First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Sunday. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $32.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.40.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.02. First Bancshares had a net margin of 18.71% and a return on equity of 8.82%. The firm had revenue of $104.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.40 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 73.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the bank's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in First Bancshares by 54.3% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,133 shares of the bank's stock valued at $615,000 after buying an additional 6,731 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in First Bancshares by 310.0% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 91,591 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,380,000 after buying an additional 69,254 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 25,986 shares of the bank's stock worth $675,000 after acquiring an additional 8,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $4,548,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.95% of the company's stock.

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.