Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 39,262 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 33,000 shares of the bank's stock after selling 39,262 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.11% of First Bancshares worth $1,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FBMS. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,548,000. Algebris UK Ltd acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the first quarter worth about $3,492,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake 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 buying an additional 91,314 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of First Bancshares by 65.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 231,635 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,018,000 after buying an additional 91,269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 310.0% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 91,591 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,380,000 after acquiring an additional 69,254 shares during the period. 69.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Bancshares Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ FBMS traded up $0.24 on Wednesday, reaching $37.99. The stock had a trading volume of 9,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,854. The First Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.08. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $33.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17 and a beta of 0.91.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Bancshares in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "sell" rating on the stock. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $35.50.

First Bancshares Company Profile

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.