The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.17.

FBMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Bancshares in a research report on Saturday, December 7th. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

First Bancshares Price Performance

First Bancshares stock opened at $36.35 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. First Bancshares has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $39.08.

First Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. First Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $36,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Bancshares by 3,387.8% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $89,000. FMR LLC lifted 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 last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 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.