Petiole USA ltd Has $5.93 Million Position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Petiole USA ltd increased its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 19.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 202,145 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 32,643 shares during the period. First Bancshares comprises about 4.4% of Petiole USA ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Petiole USA ltd owned about 0.65% of First Bancshares worth $5,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 49.0% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,203 shares of the bank's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 4,014 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth about $59,000. Amalgamated Bank lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,966 shares of the bank's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 61,430 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in First Bancshares by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 224,195 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,047,000 after purchasing an additional 8,642 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.95% of the company's stock.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of First Bancshares stock traded down $0.11 on Friday, reaching $24.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 75,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 151,268. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.80. The company has a market capitalization of $765.51 million, a P/E ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $32.06.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $104.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.30 million. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 20.00%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. Analysts expect that The First Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Hovde Group cut their price target on First Bancshares from $29.50 to $28.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of First Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "b-" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.00.

First Bancshares 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.