First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Saturday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank's stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.17.

First Bancshares Trading Up 0.4 %

FBMS traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.16. 58,173 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 99,907. First Bancshares has a 52 week low of $22.96 and a 52 week high of $39.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $34.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in First Bancshares by 7.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,404,491 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,487,000 after purchasing an additional 91,314 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 3.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,206,000 after buying an additional 28,215 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in First Bancshares by 4.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 898,647 shares of the bank's stock worth $28,874,000 after acquiring an additional 37,167 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Bancshares by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,706,000 after acquiring an additional 12,567 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 1,454.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 619,730 shares of the bank's stock worth $19,912,000 after purchasing an additional 579,851 shares in the last quarter. 69.95% of the stock is owned by 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.