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

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

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, First Bancshares has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.3 %

First Bancshares stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $36.17. 66,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 184,415. First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $39.08. The business's 50-day moving average price is $35.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.76%. First Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Bancshares

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FBMS. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $56,256,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 1,454.0% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank's stock valued at $19,912,000 after acquiring an additional 579,851 shares in the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth about $8,249,000. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. bought a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth about $4,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in First Bancshares by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank's stock valued at $36,487,000 after purchasing an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.