Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Holdings in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 26,320 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $846,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of First Bancshares as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $89,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 73.2% in the 3rd 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. FMR LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank's stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth about $216,000. 69.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBMS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

FBMS traded up $0.57 on Friday, hitting $35.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 102,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 112,901. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.96 and a 12 month high of $39.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $35.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.54.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

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.