Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 967,043 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 68,396 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 3.10% of First Bancshares worth $33,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC increased its stake in First Bancshares by 50.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,194 shares of the bank's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 17.8% in the third quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 9,767 shares of the bank's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,944 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in First Bancshares by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,553 shares of the bank's stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 93,066 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,990,000 after buying an additional 4,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Bancshares in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of FBMS traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.75. The stock had a trading volume of 59,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 174,378. The company has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 0.92. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $35.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.90. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $39.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.98%.

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.