StockNews.com Begins Coverage on First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a research note published on Friday. The firm issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of First Bancshares from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Hovde Group upped their target price on shares of First Bancshares from $29.00 to $32.50 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Bancshares currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $35.50.

First Bancshares Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of First Bancshares stock opened at $31.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $977.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 0.92. First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $34.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.02. First Bancshares had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 18.71%. The business had revenue of $104.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that First Bancshares will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.68%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancshares

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in First Bancshares by 3,387.8% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in First Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $89,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 652.7% during the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 7,474 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 6,481 shares during the period. 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.