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

Research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Sunday. The firm set a "sell" rating on the bank's stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on FBMS. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.75.

First Bancshares Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of FBMS traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $37.45. The stock had a trading volume of 105,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,967. First Bancshares has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $39.21. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $36.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.35.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of First Bancshares by 54.3% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,133 shares of the bank's stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 6,731 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in First Bancshares by 73.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,751 shares of the bank's stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $997,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $846,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company's stock.

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.