First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Bancshares (NASDAQ:FBMS) in a report released on Wednesday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the bank’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Bancshares from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $37.17.

First Bancshares Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FBMS opened at $34.24 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.92 and a 200-day moving average of $32.70. First Bancshares has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $39.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.93. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. First Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBMS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in First Bancshares by 9.6% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 190,928 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,960,000 after buying an additional 16,777 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in First Bancshares by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 48,372 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,904 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.8% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 72,262 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new position in First Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in First Bancshares in the second quarter valued at approximately $89,000. 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.