Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 62,643 Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its position in shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Free Report) by 52.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,869 shares of the bank's stock after selling 62,643 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.18% of First Bancshares worth $1,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,690 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in First Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in First Bancshares during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,666,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,054,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $846,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.95% of the company's stock.

First Bancshares Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBMS traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $37.27. The company had a trading volume of 72,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,619. The First Bancshares, Inc. 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 quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The business's 50 day moving average price is $34.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 0.91.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is 45.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FBMS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Janney Montgomery Scott cut First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a report on Friday. They set a "sell" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.